Hamburg, NY – It’s seems a little early in the season for track records but the date on the calendar didn’t phase Crazy Ritz ($4.58) one bit as he broke the Buffalo Raceway track record for aged (5+) stallion trotters with a half length victory over Dealin With Dewey in the $15,500 Open Trot with a clocking of 1:56.1.
Crazy Ritz (James McNeight Jr.), now a winner of two straight Opens, eclipsed the long standing record of 1:56.3 established on June 17, 2016 by Strong Hope.
Beacon Beach took the early lead in the Open and brought along Famous Dan and Crazy Ritz through opening splits of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:26.3.
Crazy Ritz was first to pull and gobbled up ground down the stretch. Things got a little dicey toward the wire as Dealin With Dewey (Brett MacDonald) was charging like a freight train on the outside but came up just a half length short to Crazy Ritz. Beacon Beach (Ray Fisher Jr.) held on for the show position.
Owned by James Palladino and conditioned by Jeff Martin, it was the second victory of the campaign for the 6-year-old Crazy Ritz (Crazy Wow-Bubblesnritz). The win moved his 2026 bankroll to $24,025 and to $262,267 lifetime.
In the co-featured event, Livonjaxandqueens ($20.62) had the winning hand in Buffalo Raceway’s $15,500 Open Pace with a solid 2-1/2 length victory over Venier Hanover in 1:54.3 over the fast track.
Davey Day Trader wanted to set the fractions in the early going, showing the way with splits of :27.4 and :58.1. Livonjaxandqueens (Denny Bucceri) was relaxed and waited to get the signal to get the first over trip down the backstretch. He got on even terms with Davey Day Trader as the pair hit the three quarter marker in 1:26.1.
Down the stretch, Davey Day Trader began to labor somewhat as Livonjaxandqueens stayed strong and rolled on to the victory. Venier Hanover (Greg Merton) rallied for second-place honors with All Bets On Tex (Brett MacDonald), the post time favorite, taking third place.
Owned by Howard Ouriel and trained by Jim Rothfuss, it was the first victory in four starts on the season for the 6-year-old Livonjaxandqueens (American Ideal-It’s De Lovely). The win took his seasonal earnings to $8,525 and to $263,645 lifetime.
Greg Merton and MacDonald each completed the card with a pair of victories. The double capped a great week for MacDonald as he finished with 10 victories during the three-day stretch.
Racing will continue on Wednesday afternoon (April 8) at 2:30 p.m. with an 11-race program scheduled.
With the Pick-5 not being hit for the second consecutive card on Saturday, there will be a guaranteed pool of $15,000 in the Pick-5 on Wednesday, which begins in the second race.
For more information including the latest news, upcoming promotions, entries, results and race replays, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.