Hamburg, NY – Although standardbred race horses are eligible to compete through age 14, a very rare few remain competitive enough to maintain a racing career anywhere near the mandatory retirement age. 

 

However, the first race on Wednesday (April 24) at Buffalo Raceway produced a feat that will be hard to duplicate. 

 

In what seemed like an ordinary $4,000 claiming race, Fleeing the Scene (Kevin Cummings) used a stretch burst to edge past the pacesetting Anotherama (David McNeight III). 

 

Oddly enough, the two geldings were both 13 years old. 

 

It gets even stranger. 

 

Macho Uno (Jim McNeight), one of the few 14 year olds still competing in North American harness racing, rallied late to finish third.

 

Macho Uno took his lifetime record at age 5 (1:53.4), before any of their five rivals in the race were even born.   

 

The trifecta finishers tallied a combined age of 40, with 862 starts over their racing careers. 

 

The ‘Senior Citizen’ trifecta returned $121.