The 'fickle' Lougazi ($6.30) found things to his liking at Buffalo Raceway on Friday night (July 12) and took the $12,500 Class A-Open Trot by topping Southern Palms by a length in a seasonal best in 1:58.1 over the fast track.
"He's a temperamental horse," winning driver Ray Fisher Jr. said of Lougazi. "If things aren't perfect and to his liking, he's very hard to handle."
Well, things must have been up to Lougazi's standards as he used his slow and steady first-over trip to register the victory.
Southern Palms (Kevin Cummings) set the splits with fractions of :29.2, :59.2 and 1:28.3. Lougazi found a spot in sixth place early but then was on the move just past the opening quarter. Steadily making up ground, Lougazi eventually collared the tempo-setting Southern Palms midway down the stretch while Serious George (David McNeight III) finished in third.
"Lougazi nearly pulls me out of my seat scoring down but then he can't leave three steps off the gate," Fisher Jr. said of the now familiar come-from-behind style of the five-year-old gelding. "Everything has to be right for him, even down to how the track condition is."
Owned by Mary Warriner and trained by Ryan Swift, Lougazi (Lous Legacy-Winning Blade) now has three victories in 17 tries in 2019. The win pushed his seasonal earnings to $37,000 and lifetime bankroll to $141,483.
Shawn McDonough completed the night with a driving triple while Fisher Jr., Jim Morrill Jr. and Cummings had two victories apiece. Trainer Ryan Swift had two wins.
Racing will continue on Saturday night at 6 p.m. with a 13-race to be presented.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)