Fireinsidemyveins had ice inside his veins late as he held off a stubborn JS Hopscotch in Buffalo Raceway's $15,500 Open Trot on Saturday evening (June 24). He managed to squeak out the head victory in 1:57.2 over the fast track.
Scoring from post seven, Fireinsidemyveins had a skirmish with Mugshots Bro and JS Hopscotch before grabbing the advantage at the quarter pole. With splits of :29.2 and :58.1 in the books, action really picked up from there.
Mugshots Bro tried to go a first-over trip around the clubhouse turn but that move sent Lougazi and Overserved on a break. It also eventually led to the disqualification of Mugshots Bro, who finished in third but was placed sixth.
Fireinsidemyveins remained strong in the stretch and didn't blink late, stopping the solid effort put in from JS Hopscotch in the passing lane. Batting Stats was elevated from fourth to third due to the disqualification of Mugshots Bro.
Owned by Gary Lance and conditioned by James Clouser Jr., Fireinsidemyveins is a four-year-old who has produced $34,210 in earnings this season and $134,204 lifetime. He paid $11.60 to win.
In the $13,500 pace, Idealthecards dealt himself a winning hand by romping to a convincing 5-3/4-length victory over American Trademark in 1:54.
After an impressive 5-1/2-length score last week in 1:53.4, Idealthecards stepped up another notch on the condition ladder and found the going just as smooth.
Settling back into third at the start behind American Trademark and Tony Too Tall, Idealthecards started his first over journey just before the half-mile marker. Clearing for the lead at the three-quarter marker in 1:26.1, Idealthecards had the field in surrender mode after that. With the :27.4 last split, Idealthecards paced away with the 5-3/4-length victory while American Trademark and Bet Eightthirtyone took second and third, respectively.
Co-owned by trainer Terence McClory, Jennifer and Robert Lowe and Chris McClory, five-year-old Idealthecards (American Ideal-Jessalilmixup) earned his third victory in nine appearances this year. The victory pushed his 2023 bankroll to $24,570 and lifetime earnings to $92,901. Joe Chindano Jr. drove the $3 winner.
Racing will resume on Wednesday afternoon (June 28) at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) with a 13-race scheduled. There will be three $35,200 (approx.) divisions of the New York Sire Stakes for the two-year-old filly trotters along with a trio of $20,000 Excelsior Series events.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)