by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway
HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Jim Morrill Jr. has been what could be
best described as a 'part-time' driver at Buffalo Raceway this season but
incredibly he took a giant step toward winning the 2016 driving championship
after posting a six-bagger on Saturday night (July 9).
Morrill Jr. moved his win total to 117 at Buffalo Raceway in
just 293 attempts and leads runner up Todd Cummings who has 96 victories in 612
races with nine racing dates left on the season.
And while Morrill Jr. dominated the night in the sulky, the
heavily-favored Southwind Whiski ($3.10) was the dominate force in the featured
$9,000 pace by trouncing his six rivals in 1:55.3.
Scoring from the rail, Southwind Whiski (Ray Fisher Jr.)
played give-and-go with Bad Fox to the opening quarter mark. With fractions of
28.4, 58.1 and 1:27.3, Southwind Whiski exploded on the final turn and smartly
paced away from the field with the help of a 28.0 final panel. Bad Fox (Lee
Dahn) was second 2-3/4 lengths back while American Bull (Kevin Cummings) was
third.
Co-owned by John Mungillo and Thatsideofthefence LLC, the
8-year-old gelded Southwind Whiski (Bettor's Delight-Winona Hanover) now has
four victories in 23 starts this season, earning $27,094 and $149,066 lifetime.
It was also a big milestone for trainer JD Perrin as he
tripled and moved his seasonal win total at Buffalo Raceway to 100.
Racing will resume on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. with a
10-race card scheduled.
For more information including upcoming promotions, race
replays, results and the latest news, go to www.buffaloraceway.com
