HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Mother Nature didn't cooperate at all with the 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters entered in the New York Sire Stakes on Wednesday night (June 27) at Buffalo Raceway but three were able to overcome the sloppy conditions to post victories.

Photo by Steve Roth
Horns For Three quickest in NYSS with 2:02.4 victory.

 

Horns For Three ($3.40) was the most impressive of the trio of winners in the $37,000 (appprox.) divisions with a 2:02.4 mile, by far the fastest in the Sire Stakes. Certify ($10.80) captured his leg in 2:05.2 while Xcuseme ($36.00) was triumphant with a 2:06.3 tour of the Buffalo Raceway half mile oval.

 

The times were well off the Buffalo Raceway track records. Those records were 1:58.4 for the freshmen colts established by Money Macintosh in 2016 and 2:01.2 for the geldings set in 2013 by The Lindy Treaty.

 

With a steady rain falling, Horns For Three settled down at the start and dropped into the three hole as Rap Sheet took the lead to the quarter pole in 31.0. Just before the half, driver Kevin Cummings pulled Horns For Three first over and took over command.

 

Reaching the stretch in front, Horns For Three trotted smartly to the wire as Jake G's Champion (Scott Zeron) couldn't get any closer than 1-3/4 lengths. Crazyforlovinyou (Jim Morrill Jr.) took the show position.

 

"He ran out a bit on the turns but otherwise he did really well," Cummings said of Horns For Three. He added, "It was a great mile for the sloppy conditions. I showed him the whip in the stretch but never used it. He did it with ease."

 

Co-owned by Thomas Pollack and Jeffrey Cullipher, Horns For Three (Credit Winner-Swoosh Hanover) is trained by Edward Hart.

 

In the opener, Certify battled with Charlieman for the lead to the opening marker, but once reaching the top, he never looked back in posting the half length decision over Thunder (Jason Bartlett. Charlieman (Dan Daley) ended up in third.

 

Certify slogged through splits of :32.0, 1:04.0 and 1:36.1 but had enough left in the tank to hold off the late bid by Thunder.

 

Owned and trained by Earl Sauve, it was the first victory in two starts for Certify (Credit Winner-Good Intentions). 

Photo by Steve Roth
Xcuseme posts $36.00 upset victory in third leg of NYSS.

 

The last division saw five of the trotters break stride at the start, thus scattering the field. Xcuseme (John Stark Jr.) inherited a 10-length lead at the quarter pole while Our White Knight (Bartlett) and Jnr Express (John MacDonald) remained on gait and fought to get back into contention.

 

Xcuseme, who set splits of :32.1, 1:05.1 and 1:36.4, dug in late and won by a half length as Our White Knight and Jnr Express put in game efforts but finished second and third respectively.  

 

Co-owned by Stark Jr., Thomas McTygue, David Smith and James Gianucci, Xcuseme (RC Royalty-The Cuse) is trained by Stark Jr.

 

In the $15,000 Excelsior A Series, Praying Angel ($6.40) won the first division for Morrill Jr. in 2:06.1 and Reel Of Fortune ($12.00) captured the second leg in 2:07.2 for driver Phil Fluet.

 

Speeding Moose ($7.80) registered the victory in the lone $6,400 Excelsior B Series event as Dan Daley steered him to the win in 2:11.3.

 

Racing will resume on Friday evening at 5 p.m. with a 10-race program scheduled. There's a $3,578 carryover in the Pick-5 which begins in the second race.

 

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