by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway 

Memumsnotnice ($2.60) went coast-to-coast in the $9,500 Optional Claiming Pace for the ladies in 1:59.4 while City Kid ($5.00) needed every inch of the mile in the $8,500 Open II Trot to score a come-from-behind neck victory over Northern Spark in 2:02.1 over the good track.

 

Dropping down a notch from the Open Pace for Fillies and Mares, Memumsnotnice set sail from the rail for driver Kevin Cummings in the first race. Posting fractions of 30.2, 1:00.4 and 1:31.4, she put up a final panel of 28.0 to keep the pocket-sitting Bad Girl Vegas (Billy Dobson) a half-length behind. R U For Me (Truman Gale) took the show position.

 

Co-owned by Thatsideofthefence LLC and John Mungillo, it was the second victory in four starts this season for Memumsnotnice (Jereme's Jet-Bunny Town). Trained by Mungillo, the 6-year-old mare has earned $15,250 in 2015 and $269,950 lifetime.

 

City Kid, in the meantime, sat the pocket and used a late surge to just nip the pace-setting Northern Spark in the Open II Trot. 

 

After drafting in the garden spot behind Northern Spark (John Cummings Jr.), City Kid (Dobson) was bound and determined to get the victory. A final surge on the outside at the wire got the job done for City Kid as Northern Spark had to settle for a disappointing second place. Fiorentina (Shawn Gray) took third.

 

City Kid (Cincinnati Kid-Salagadoola), a 7-year-old gelding, is owned by Barbara Russo and is trained by Neal Russo. It was his first win of the season and moved his 2015 earnings to $7,635.

 

Buffalo Raceway completed the first month of the 2015 season with some eye-popping numbers. With nine racing days compared to the same number of dates in 2014, there was an increase of 40 percent in total handle wagered nationwide, averaging over $250,000 nightly. The wagering on track also increased by15 percent.

 

Racing will continue on Friday night with a 13-race program set to go to the post at 6:35 p.m.