McNatural L had been knocking on the door of a victory the past three weeks, and on closing day at Buffalo Raceway on Sunday, July 20, she finally completed the task in the $14,384 featured conditioned pace for the fillies and mares.
With a second-place finish and a pair of thirds in her previous attempts, Mcnatural L was in a prime spot to get back to the winner's circle. Starting from the inside post, Mcnatural L (David McNeight III) took advantage of the draw and immediately gained the lead off the starting gate.
Uncontested on the front end, Mcnatural L put up splits of :29.3, :59.3 and 1:28.4. Turning for home, McNeight III was in a prone position in the sulky as Mcnatural L ($4.20) was cruising to the finish line with no rallies materializing. She completed the mile in 1:57.3, equalling her seasonal best. Lorraine Smoke (Kyle Swift), a length back of the winner, took the place position while Bettor B Sawyer (James McNeight Jr.) collected third place honours.
Owned by El Dorado Stables of Fort Myers, Fla. and trained by David McNeight Jr., the win was the fifth in 22 appearances this year for the seven-year-old Mcnatural L (Mcardle-Natural Paradise). The victory improved her 2025 bankroll to $51,796 and her lifetime totals to 24 wins in 114 tries and $240,203 in earnings.
Denny Bucceri completed the afternoon with a driving triple with McNeight III getting two. Samuel Smith had a pair of training wins on the nine-race program.
Racing is expected to resume in March of 2026 at Buffalo Raceway.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)