HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Western Conquest had plenty of courage during Buffalo Raceway's featured $11,500 Open Pace on Saturday night (June 2) as he was able to squeeze past a stubborn Focus Power by a nose at the wire to post the $14.00 victory in a season's best 1:53.3.

Photo by Steve Roth
Western Conquest squeezes out nose win in Open Pace.

 

Focus Power (Drew Monti) was able to cut the fractions with splits of :27.3, :56.1 and 1:25.2 but things got tough in the final panel. 

 

Western Conquest was first over and went eyeball-to-eyeball with never say die Focus Power the final quarter of a mile and just managed to get a nostril in front at the line. Im So Handsome (Kevin Cummings) took the show position.

 

Owned by the Tanah Merah Farms LLC and trained by Ryan Swift, it was the fourth victory in eight starts for Western Conquest (American Ideal-Aries Conquest). The 7-year-old has now jacked his seasonal earnings to $20,490 and $279,081 in his career.

 

Racing will resume on Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. with a 12-race card scheduled. The New York Sire Stakes will make its first appearance of the 2018 season at Buffalo Raceway with the 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters headlining the program. There will also be action in the Excelsior A and B Series as well.

 

For more information including the latest news, upcoming promotions, simulcast schedule, race replays, results and entries, go to www.buffaloraceway.com