Hamburg, NY — The 10-year-old Lip Reader A hasn’t had much experience racing in the United States, having made just two pari-mutuel starts since arriving from Australia. But that inexperience didn’t matter at Buffalo Raceway on Saturday night (March 16) as he posted a career best 1:54 in the co-featured $14,000 Open Pace, beating Villiam by 2-3/4 lengths.

Lip Reader A, with a victory at Yonkers on Feb. 20 in his United States debut and a hard luck third-place finish by three-quarters of a length at Buffalo on March 2, was ready for battle against the top-class pacers.

Villiam, starting from the rail, took early command with splits of :28.4, 58 and 1:26.1. Lip Reader A sat in fourth place and began his first-over journey approaching the final marker. Turning for home, Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) started to pull away from Villiam (Joseph Chindano Jr.) and was clear by 2-3/4 lengths at the wire. Umberto (David McNeight III) took the show position.

Lip Reader A silenced the field on Saturday at Buffalo Raceway. Barnstormer Images.

Owned by Vogel & Wags Nags LLC, Team Rice Racing and Dr. Michael Miller and trained by Maria Rice, Lip Reader A (Sportswriter-Strike Line) scored his second win in three tries in 2024. The win upped his earnings to $16,668 on the season and $189,196 lifetime.

In the co-main event, the $14,000 Open Trot, Power And Grace ($3.20), the lone lady in the race, showed the boys how it was done, going gate-to-wire in 1:57.2 and beating HP Running Mass by 3-3/4 lengths.

Power And Grace (Monti) fired to the early lead and controlled splits of :29.3, :58.4 and 1:29. In the lane, Power And Grace was home free with the only battle remaining being for the minor spoils. HP Running Mass (McNeight III) took runner-up honors with Good Boy (Ray Fisher Jr.) settling for third.

Power And Grace, a 9-year-old mare, is owned by Harlet Maintenance Inc., Lormer McClure, Brett MacDonald and Reg Higgs. Trained by Ronald MacDonald, Power And Grace (Holiday Road-Mark Of Hanover) has now won in four of eight starts in 2024, earning $23,000 and pushing her lifetime bankroll to $403,467.

Racing will resume on Wednesday afternoon (March 20) with a 14-race card set for 2:30 p.m. There is a $1,655 carryover in the Pick-5, which starts in the second race. For more information, including the latest news, upcoming promotions, entries, results and race replays, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.