3 year olds invade Buffalo

July 27, 2006

Buffalo Raceway will host a weekend of New York Sire Stakes, worth $271,367, when 3-year-old pacers invade the Hamburg oval on Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29. The highlight will be the two divisions of colts and geldings on Saturday in which winners of earlier New York Sire Stakes legs will face off.

Park Hill and Gimmebackmybullets, both winners in the first two Sire Stakes legs this year, will head to post in the fourth race on Saturday.

Park Hill, a son of Magical Mike trained by Bill Popfinger, has made a big turnaround from last year, when he was not very competitive in the Sire Stakes and earned just over $12,000. Already this year he has won more than $47,000.

"He's kind of a big colt and needed a little more time to mature," Popfinger said. "Last year he had a little trouble getting around the (half-mile track) turns, a little colt soreness, but he's matured out of that and gets around the track pretty good now."

Park Hill is a full brother to LT's Magic, a filly who was a multiple Sire Stakes winner and earned $225,000 in her career under Popfinger's tutelage. So when the seasoned trainer saw Park Hill at the Standardbred Horse Sale two years ago he and partners George Muzea and Leigha Castelo grabbed the colt for $10,000.

Park Hill drew post position six for his seven-horse division, and Popfinger recognized that it was both a tough post and a tough field to face. Leading Buffalo driver Jim Morrill, Jr. will drive.

"It's a matter of the draw and the post," the trainer said, about how his colt ranks against the other headliners in the division.

Gimmebackmybullets drew the inside post, number one, for driver Stephane Bouchard and trainer Ed Hart. Owned by the Legacy Racing Stables, the son of Bettor's Delight set a 1:53.3 track record at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway in his last start, a Sire Stakes race on July 15, with Bouchard up.

This top pair of colts will also be challenged by Jake Of Diamonds. The invader from Ontario scored in his first Sire Stakes start in the previous leg at Saratoga, but will be in with the division heavyweights for the first time. He is trained by Susanne Kerwood for Canamerica Capital Corp, Diversity Stable, and Lindy Farms.

In the third race division, last year's defending New York Sire Stakes Final winner, Winbak Dimensions, will take on Tuffofthetoughest and Winbak Speed.

Winbak Dimensions is trained at Ohio's Lake County Fairgrounds by Bill and Jack Heinz, but he could probably call Buffalo Raceway his "home track" in New York since he puts in many of his overnight starts there, and regular driver John Cummings Jr. is also based at Buffalo. He will be trying for his third straight Sire Stakes victory when he leaves from post position three.

Tuffofthetoughest, a winner in the first Sire Stakes leg at Monticello Raceway, is campaigned by Buffalo native Ray Schnittker. Named after bull riding legend Tuff Hedeman, the colt went over the $200,000 mark in career earnings with his second-place finish behind Gimmebackmybullets at Saratoga, and he will start from post two on Saturday. (NYSS)

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