by Sam Pendolino, public relations, Buffalo Raceway
Hamburg, NY — Satelite Dish won the Open Trot at Buffalo Raceway for the third time in a row for driver Jack Flanigen and owner-trainer Jan Filer. He paid $24.80 to win even though he was the morning line favorite at 2-1. “They don’t give this horse any respect, do they,” said winning trainer Filer. “He raced good again,” said driver Flanigen. The winning time was 2:01.2, and unlike last week where he went wire-to- wire, this week Flanigen sat dead last throughout the race and made one big brush just past the three-quarter pole and swept by the entire field. There was a dead heat for second between Yankee Fur, driven by Mark Gilmour, and Fast Lane K, with Hall Of Fame driver Clint Galbraith in the sulky. In Sunday’s fourth race, a $5,400 trot, Boomer Berman used his early speed and a drop in class to register his first win of the season for owner Thomas F. Barrett of Butler, Pennsylvania. He paid $10.60 to win and was timed in 2:01 flat. “That was his kind of mile right on the front end,” said winning reinsman Stephen Schoeffel. “The little class relief helped.” Coming in second was Pine Hill Andie, who got a perfect tag along trip right behind the winner, and finishing third was longshot CSI Turn And Burn and driver Ron Beback, Jr. In Sunday’s second race, a $3,400 trot, Gust, with driver Steven Lindell aboard, won for the first time this year in 2:03.4 and paid $22.40 to his lucky backers. “This trip went the way I hoped it would go,” said Lindell. “I got an easy trip from the rail and used the passing lane and he had lots left for the stretch drive.” Homer Iliad and driver Alex Giuliani led every step of the mile except the last few feet, and finished second while CH Blitzinbya and provisional driver Robert McNeight came in third.