by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

Hamburg NY — The spotlight was supposed to be on the2-year-old colt and gelding pacers in the New York Sire Stakes at BuffaloRaceway on Wednesday night (July 12) but someone forgot to tell that to SarahCola. She stole the headlines by breaking the track record for aged pacingmares with a 1:54.1 victory over Voltina in an $8,200 optional claimer.

Driven by Jody Jamieson, Sarah Cola snapped the old mark heldby Majic Laughter (2014), Case Solved (2014) and Deliciouslynaughty (2017) of1:54.2.

Steve Roth photo

Sarah Cola broke the track record for aged pacing mares with a 1:54.1 victory Wednesday at Buffalo Raceway.

“I left out of the gate and was trying to be in goodposition to get a piece at the end,” said Jamieson of pulling the $24.20upset with Sarah Cola. “The track was lighting fast and with the highhumidity, it helped out as well.”

Co-owned by trainer Jim Graham and Giuseppe Micchia, the5-year-old mare Sarah Cola (No Pan Intended-Saramotion) captured her thirdstraight win and pushed her seasonal earnings to $23,040.

In the featured Sire Stakes, Casual Cool (American Ideal-SightTo See), a $165,000 purchase at the Harrisburg Sales last season, returned hisfirst dividend on the investment by rallying late to nip Topville Olympian by anose in 1:56.0. It was the fastest time of the three $35,000 (approx.)divisions and just a fifth of a second off the track standard of 1:55.4 set in2013 by He’s Watching.

Ghost Dance (American Ideal-Epoxy Queen) (Michael Saftic)captured his leg with a hard-charging win over Delightful Joe in 1:57.3 whileSammy’s Lightning thundered around the Hamburg half-mile oval in 1:58.0 andposted the mild $12.00 upset.

Casual Cool (Chris Lems) used a 56.2 final half-mile totrack down the pace-setting Topville Olympian (Jamieson) and register therather surprising $23.00 victory. Rock Lights (Jim Morrill Jr.) was third.

“He’s a little green but running on the outside for ahalf mile, that was a big mile for him in his first start. He’s going to be agood one,” Lems said of Casual Cool, owned by Ken Jacobs and trained byLinda Toscano.

Earlier, Ghost Dance ($6.60) was three-wide down the laneand got past Delightful Joe (Billy Dobson) to pull off the 3/4-length decision.Major Sugar Rush (Ray Schnittker) rounded out the top three.

“Once we straightened out in the stretch, I knew we hada chance,” Saftic said of Ghost Dance.

Owned by the Millar Farms and trained by Eric Adams, Ghost Dance(American Ideal-Epoxy Queen) has now won his first two pari-mutuel starts.

In the opener, Sammy’s Lightning (Roll With Joe-Free Fi Girl)(Jim Morrill Jr.) set the fractions and held off all challengers in the driveto the wire to take the victory. Cheese Melt (Daniel Dube) was second and ISoar Him First (Mickey McNichol) was third.

“I 00was a little cautious with him around the turnsbut with the slow fractions, I figured we have enough in the tank,”Morrill Jr. said of the 3/4-length win by Sammy’s Lightning.

In the Excelsior A Series, Rootin Tootin (Jamieson) wentcoast-to-coast in 1:59.1 and scored the popular $2.80 victory.Jamieson then made it a clean sweep with a 1:59.2 journey aboard Dewar NJack ($11.80).

It was a match race in the lone $6,200 Excelsior B Seriesrace, a non-betting affair, as Too Much Duncan (Schnittker) beat Thor De Vie(Larry Stalbaum) in 2:02.0.

Jamieson finished the evening with four victories with Stalbaumnotching a triple. Trainer Blake MacIntosh posted two wins.

Racing will continue on Friday evening with a 10-raceprogram slated for 5 p.m.

For more information including the latest news, upcomingpromotions, race replays and results, go to www.buffaloraceway.com