Hamburg, NY — Stranger Things ($7.70) posted a seasonal best of 1:53.3 and he needed every bit of that time to hold off a hard charging Itsallaboutfaith N in Buffalo Raceway’s $16,000 Open Pace on Saturday afternoon (June 14).
There was a battle for the lead early as Egomania, Admiral Hanover and the favored John The Baptist all duking it out for control. Just past the opening panel in a quick :27.2 over that fast track, John The Baptist took the top and rolled through the half in :56.1. But Stranger Things (Kevin Cummings) started his march first over which eventually proved to be the winning move.
Midway down the backstretch the final time, Stranger Things powered his way to the lead with Itallaboutfaith N (Kyle Swift) dropping into the pocket. Reaching the three-quarter pole in 1:24.3, Stranger Things enjoyed a 1-1/4 length margin at the top of the lane but Itsallaboutfaith N put in a wicked rally in deep stretch but just came up a head short in the photo. Annapolis Hanover (Kyle Cummings) put in a strong effort but had to settle for third.
Co-owned by Kathy Schoeffel, James Reuther and Roger Romesser, the 9-year-old gelded Stranger Things (Western Terror-Southwind Prairie) is trained by Angelo Nappo. The win pushed his seasonal bankroll to $55,250 and to $426,292 in his career.
Jim Morrill Jr. had four wins on the card with Drew Monti, Michael Whelan and Kevin Cummings each getting doubles. Samuel Smith had three training victories with Walter Whelan and Nappo scoring two apiece.
There were some bombs on the Saturday card. Bettor’s Victory opened the program with a $47.40 score. That was just the beginning as two big prices were part of the Pick 5 sequence. Counter Offer pulled a $33.20 stunner which was followed by Silverhill Blaze’s $95.50 shocker. As a result, there’s a $2,602 carryover in the Pick 5 pool which begins in the second race on Wednesday.
Action will return on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. with a 13-race program slated. The New York Sire Stakes will be back as nine 2-year-old filly pacers put their noses to the gate for the first time in their careers with $112,100 on the line. There’s also an $20,000 Excelsior Series event.
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