Barn Doll and Jewels In Hock went about their business as expected on Sunday afternoon (July 12) in the New York Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies at Buffalo Raceway, but it was High Rise who did the unexpected by setting a new track record.
While Barn Doll and Jewels In Hock figured to challenge the 1:59 mark set by Glowngold in 2014, it was High Rise (Chris Lems) who smashed the mark for the sophomore filly trotters with a 1:58.2 time over the fast Hamburg half-mile oval in a division of the $15,000 Excelsior 'A' Series.
"That was a track record?" Lems asked when he returned to the winner's circle after the victory. When he was told it was, a big smile broke out on his face and he just shook his head in disbelief. He then said of High Rise, "She's a nice horse and she always gives her best and she gave her best today."
High Rise ($12.80) beat Nunkeri (John Campbell) by a length while Barn Girl (Jeff Gregory) finished third.
Owned by Raymond Campbell and trained by George Decharme, High Rise (Conway Hall-RC Biscuit) has now won six times in eight appearances this season pushing her seasonal earnings to $28,800.
The heavily favoured Barn Doll ($2.10) took her $61,300 division of the Sire Stakes in 1:59, which tied the track standard before High Rise came along.
Waiting Room (Andy Miller) set the tempo with splits of :30.2, 1:00.3 and 1:30.2, but Barn Doll had a first over trip and eventually wore down the front-runner, pulling away by one and a half lengths at the wire. Summers Windsong (Ray Schnittker) took the show spot.
"She had no real problems," Jeff Gregory said of his trip with Barn Doll, now a winner of six straight races. "I kind of babied her around the turns, but she was strong as usual."
Trainer and co-owner Steve Pratt said of Barn Doll, "She's gonna get a couple of weeks off now. She's been racing hard the past few weeks so she deserves a break."
Wanda Polisseni of the Purple Haze Stables LLC, who co-owns Barn Doll (Conway Hall-Headintheclouds) along with Nancy Pratt, stated, "She needs a break. It's a long season."
Polisseni admitted she was nervous as usual about Barn Doll, but felt good with Gregory in the sulky. "I always worry about my horses, all of my babies, when they race. But I love Jeff Gregory...he's my guy."
Barn Doll, now a winner of 13 of 16 lifetime starts, has pushed her seasonal earnings to $234,724 and lifetime bankroll to $437,861.
John Campbell took Jewels In Hock ($2.70) wire-to-wire in their $60,200 division of the Sire Stakes in 2:00.1.
It was Campbell's first drive at Buffalo Raceway since 1992 and the Hall Of Famer's first win at the track since 1990. She beat Lady Winona by two lengths while Zanna Blu (Jim Morrill Jr.) took the show spot.
Campbell said of Jewels In Hock's mile tour, "She controlled the race from the inside and did it all on her own."
She posted comfortable fractions of :29.1, 1:00.3 and 1:31.3 en route to the win.
When asked about returning to Buffalo Raceway after a 23-year absence, Campbell stated, "It's nice to be back and get a win. It's been a long time. I didn't race at Saratoga since 1988 and I went back there this year."
Campbell saw Jewels In Hock's owner Ken Jacobs in the winner's circle and said with a big grin, "Hey, this is a great place to meet up."
Jacobs said afterwards of getting Campbell to Western New York to drive Jewels In Hock, "I told I'd fly him up, that he's got the rail, he won't be going against Barn Doll and the purse is over $60,000." The sales pitch worked.
Campbell has now been aboard Jewels In Hock in her past six races and has four wins, a second and third-place finish.
"You put him behind a trotter, that's why he's a Hall Of Famer," Jacobs said of Campbell.
Jewels In Hock (Credit Winner-Jewels Galore) now has five victories in 11 tries this season. She is trained by Linda Toscano and has put $117,770 in the bank in 2015 and $130,700 lifetime.
In the other $15,000 Excelsior Series 'A' division, Wanna Get Lucky ($5.20) scored for Lems in 2:00.2. Lems finished the day with a triple.
There was a local flavor with the winners in the $6,600 Excelsior B Series. John Cummings Jr. returned home and took Sweet Hana T to a surprising $13.60 win while former Buffalo Raceway regular Ray Schnittker took Kaliska to a popular $3.70 decision in 2:02.2.
Schnittker said after his victory, "It's always good to come home and get a win."
Racing will continue on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. with a 13-race program scheduled. The New York Sire Stakes returns once again as the two-year-old filly trotters invade along with the Excelsior A and B series.
(Buffalo Raceway)