You don’t usually see a horse zero-for-17 with nearly $100,000 in lifetime earnings. But Fortunista fit the bill entering Wednesday's harness racing card at Buffalo Raceway before finally finding her way to the winner's circle during New York Sire Stakes action.
Dan Noble guided Fortunista ($5) to a 1:59.3 11 length score in the $48,104 third division of NYSS for three-year-old trotting fillies. The Credit Winner-Meadowbranch Mary miss, who earned the bulk of her bankroll with three runner-up finishes in NYSS action last year and a placing in her $239,500 Empire Breeders Classic division in early June, is owned by trainer Gilbert Garcia-Herrera along with Barbara and Donald Arnstine of Sacramento, California.
“I just tried to get her through that first turn nice and easy,” said Noble. “Then when I brushed her to the top, just before the half, she went really nice.”
The winning time was the fastest of the night for the three-year-old New York bred trotting fillies.
The other Sire Stakes winners were Dr. Patricia Hogan's Miss Fidget ($14.80), who went wire-to-wire in 2:01.3 with trainer Eddie Lohmeyer in the sulky, and Anandamide ($2.20), who trotted home in 2:00.1 with Jim Morrill Jr. at the controls for trainer Anette Lorentzon and owner Acl Stuteri Ab.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)