In what looked to be a showdown between three previous winners in the New York Sire Stakes for two-year-old filly pacers, Betterthangraduate turned it into a blowout by destroying her competition in 1:57.1, the fastest of the three $36,000 (approx.) divisions at Buffalo Raceway on Sunday afternoon (July 16).
Betterthangraduate had to battle Walk From Heaven and Twin B Peaches who each had successful debuts in Vernon Down on July 7. But only one was going to come out with bragging rights and that was Betterthangraduate (Chris Lems) who easily beat Twin B Peaches by a comfortable three and a half lengths.
In the other two legs, Ubettergo Go was sent off at 1-9 odds and she responded like a heavy favourite should by romping to an easy two-length victory over American Myth in 1:57.2, while Another Lawsuit got a perfect trip and pounced on the opportunity late to nip the pace-setting Kims The Best by a neck in 1:57.3.
Fresh off a 1:55 victory in the sire stakes at Vernon Downs, Betterthangraduate made it two straight victories with a gate-to-wire journey around the Buffalo Raceway half-mile oval. With fractions of :29.2, :59.2 and 1:28.2, Bettergraduate only received a minor challenge in the last panel from Twin B Peaches (driven by Jody Jamieson), but it wasn't nearly enough. Princess Dalia (Marcus Miller) took the show position.
Betterthangraduate (Betterthancheddar-Western Graduate) has now won twice in three career starts for trainer Ron Burke and has put $35,658 in the bank. She is co-owned by the Burke Racing Stable, Silva Purnel & Libby, Pete Collura and Weaver Bruscemi.
Ubettergo Go is also undefeated in her two New York Sire Stakes races. She had no issues in trouncing the field that was scratched down to five (Classy Chris and Azreal As It Gets were excused due to illness).
With fractions of :29.8, :59.4 and 1:29.4, Ubettergo Go ($2.10) breezed to the wire while American Myth (Dan Rawlings) and Pleasant Beauty (Marcus Miller) finished in second and third, respectively.
Co-owned by trainer Blake MacIntosh, Tony Basile, Reginald Petitpas and Ozzie MacKay, Ubettergo Go (Art Major-Ubetterthink Think) increased her seasonal bankroll to $31,858.
Another Lawsuit (Jim Morrill Jr.) sprung a $14.00 surprise in the opening division, as she made a last-gasp effort from the pocket to push past the pace-setting Kims The Best. Sand Artist (Marcus Miller) took the third-place cheque.
Owned by Carl Stackheim and trained by Nicholas DeVita, it was the first win in two starts for Another Lawsuit (American Ideal-Court Stenographer).
In the Excelsior ‘A’ Series, KJs Bekah zoomed around the track in 1:58.2 to register the $3.00 victory for Jamieson to highlight the three $15,000 classifications. Never Walk Alone produced a huge $66.50 upset in 2:00.0 with Chris Lems in the sulky while KJs Justine (Brett Miller) notched a popular $2.30 decision in 2:00.1.
Jericho Diva (Monti) produced the fastest time in the Excelsior ‘B’ Series with a 1:58.2 time and returned $2.70 for the win. Surreal Feeling uncorked a $22.00 shocker in 2:00.2 for Marcus Miller, while Pasta Blue Chip (Jamieson) took the final $6,600 bracket with a 2:00.1 trip that returned $3.50.
Jamieson finished the afternoon with three wins and Lems, Monti and Marcus Miller each recorded driving doubles. Toscano and MacIntosh each had a pair of training victories.
There was a mishap during the Excelsior ‘A’ Series, the fourth race on the card. Drivers Larry Stalbaum and Morrill Jr. were involved and both drivers were then taken off their remaining rides on the card. Only Stalbaum was taken to the Erie County Medical Center to be evaluated. The filly pacers Eazy Spreezy and Tell Me A Joke both appeared to be uninjured.
The final week of the 2017 season will begin on Wednesday night with 10 races scheduled. There's a $882 carryover in the Pick-5 which begins in the second race.
For more information including the latest news, race replays, results and upcoming promotions, head to buffaloraceway.com.
(Buffalo Raceway)