by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway
HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Straight A Student ($3.10) and Fad Finance
($3.50) took their respective $60,200 divisions of the New York Sire Stakes and
tied the Buffalo Raceway track record for 3-year-old filly trotters in doing so
with times of 1:58.2 over the fast track on Sunday afternoon (July 17).
The clocking equaled the mark of 1:58.2 established in 2015
by High Rise.
In the opening leg, Straight A Student (Mark MacDonald) got
a perfect trip and won the cavalry charge down the stretch to register a head
victory over Lindylicious (Kevin Cummings). Goosebump Hanover (Jim Morrill Jr.)
took the show position.
At the start, Straight A Student parked Goosebump Hanover to
the quarter pole before finally relinquishing the lead. From there, Goosebump
Hanover was in command until the top of the stretch when Straight A Student
came charging down the passing lane and Lindylicious attacked from the outside.
It was a blanket finish with Straight A Student getting the
head win over Lindylicious while Goosebump Hanover was just a neck back.
"I just wanted to make it around the first turn,"
MacDonald said in getting Straight A Student to the winner's circle. "I
knew if I followed Goosebump Hanover around the track, I'd be where I wanted to
be in the end."
Straight A Student (Credit Winner-Smarter Than Smart) as
been playing second fiddle for much of the season as she has had five runner up
finishes in her seven starts. "She's trotted some big miles this season
and finally got the win," MacDonald added.
Trained by Paul Kelley, Straight A Student pushed her
seasonal earnings to $71,885 and $93,675 lifetime.
In the second division, Fad Finance was ready to roll midway
down the backstretch the final time but had to wait for racing room before
rallying late to nip Monarchs Sequel (MacDonald) by a nose. Swinging Royalty
(Chris Lems) secured the show position.
Fad Finance had nowhere to go heading to the three-quarter
marker as the pace-setting Swinging Royalty and the first-over Monarchs Sequel
had her boxed in along the pylons.
In the race for the wire, Fad Finance found some wiggle room
and just got up in time to take the nose victory.
"I did all I could do to keep her in the two
hole," Morrill Jr. said of Fad Finance's journey. "If I could have
gotten her free down the backstretch, we probably would have won by five
lengths."
Trained by Trond Smedshammer, it was the third victory of
the year for Fad Finance (Credit Winner-Armbro Vanity). The win pushed her
seasonal bankroll to $83,038 and $129,988 in her career.
Fruition ($5.10) was the fastest in the $15,000 Excelsior A
Series with a 2:00.0 victory which gave MacDonald a double while Kevin Cummings
drove Outside Court ($7.30) to a 2:00.4 win.
Shawn McDonough swept both of the $6,600 Excelsior B Series
as he was aboard Catalina Cash ($6.60) and Barn Diva ($10.40). Catalina Cash
covered the mile in 2:02.0 while Barn Diva toured the Buffalo Raceway half-mile
oval in 2:03.1.
Morrill Jr. took top honors on the day in the bike as he
posted five wins.
The final week of the 2016 season at Buffalo Raceway will
start on Wednesday night at 5 p.m. with a 12-race card scheduled. The New York
Sire Stakes will kick off closing week as the 2-year-old colt and gelding
pacers will be in action.
For more information including the latest news, upcoming
promotions, race replays and results, go to www.buffaloraceway.com
