Longshot takes Open Pace at Buffalo

HAMBURG, N.Y. — Imprincessgemma A (Village Jolt-Melody Stride) was the queen at Buffalo Raceway on a soggy Wednesday afternoon (April 3) as she held on for a head harness racing victory over a stubborn Summer Slash in the $14,000 Open Pace for the fillies and mares.

Driver Billy Davis Jr. made the journey from Northfield Park for the matinee and the trip worthwhile as he steered Imprincessgemma A to the surprising $27.60 win. He finished the day with a triple, registering a $2.90 victory aboard Century Grizzly and adding a $15.80 score with Traffic Citation.

Imprincessgemma A wasted little time in getting to the top over the good track as she showed the way with splits of :29.2, :58.3 and 1:27.1.

From there, it was a two horse break away as Summer Slash (Ray Fisher Jr.) pulled on nearly even terms with Imprincessgemma A turning for home. The two went stride for stride but Imprincessgemma A never gave up the advantage and hung on for the narrow score. Summer Slash had to settle for the tough luck second place check while Magical Mistress (Kevin Cummings) was third.

Owned by Elite Harness Racing LLC and conditioned by Shawn McDonough, it was the second win in eight starts this season for the 10-year-old mare Imprincessgemma A. The victory moved her bankroll in 2024 to $19,650 and $609,189 lifetime.

Cummings had a driving triple while Samuel Smith had three training wins and McDonough two.

Racing will resume on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with an 11-race program set.

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by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway