Hamburg, NY — After four straight finishes in the money but not finding the winner’s circle, Oaxacan Dream N ($5.50) finally put it all together Wednesday (April 2) and captured the featured $12,500 Open I-II Handicap Pace for fillies and mares at Buffalo Raceway.
Starting from post five, Oaxacan Dream N and driver Drew Monti quickly cleared to the top and posted solid splits of :29.3, :59.2 and 1:28.4 over a good track. Approaching the final marker, Oaxacan Dream N opened up a two-length advantage and rolled to an easy 2-1/2-length victory over Rightfully Mine (Ryan Swift) and Scenic Adventure (Kevin Cummings) in a seasonal best 1:58.
Owned by Vogel & Wags Nags LLC and conditioned by Maria Rice, Oaxacan Dream N scored the second win of her 9-year-old season. Finishing in the money in eight times in nine attempts this year, she has put $23,520 in the bank and increased her career earnings to $236,669.
In the $11,000 sub-feature for distaff pacers, Mary Kat (Kyle Cummings) made it three straight victories as she clawed her way to a 2-1/2-length decision over Big Bad Mosa (Kevin Cummings) in 1:58. Celia Bayama (Swift) took third place.
With Big Bad Mosa and Atlantic Star battling for early supremacy, Mary Kat dropped in fifth but quickly raced to the top when the front end settled down. She reached the point in :29.4 and followed that up with middle fractions of :58.4 and 1:28.3. It appeared Atlantic Star was poised to make a move around the final turn, but that effort abruptly stalled out. Turning for home, Mary Kat ($3.80) had no real threats coming her way and had more than enough left in the tank to cruise away from Big Bad Mosa and Celia Bayama.
It was the fourth victory in 11 starts in 2025 for the 8-year-old Mary Kat, who is owned by Caeleo Enterprises and trained by David Russo. The win pushed her seasonal earnings to $22,220 and her lifetime bankroll to $314,348.
Racing will return to Buffalo on Friday (April 4) at 2:30 p.m. with nine races scheduled. For more information, including the latest news, upcoming promotions, entries, results and race replays, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.