McNeight III sweeps trots, hits $10 million mark

HAMBURG, N.Y. — The rail and harness racing driver David McNeight III were the perfect combination in the feature trotting events at Buffalo Raceway on Friday afternoon (June 9).

McNeight III took Fireinsidemyveins (Muscle Mass-Prize Angie) to a gate to wire victory in the $15,500 Open Trot in a seasonal 1:56.4 while earlier on the program, he was aboard Con Air Hall (Groton Hall-Charm’s Chip) in the $10,800 Open II Trot with a 1:58.4 mile tour. Both wins for McNeight III came off the pylons.

But what made the victory in the Open extra special for McNeight III was the win put the 33-year-old over $10 million in career purse earnings.

In the Open, Fireinsidemyveins set the tempo by putting up splits of :29.0 and :58.2 over the first half mile. He also handed out a parking ticket along the way to Alan who was stuck out in no man’s land. No longer having to deal with the pesky Alan, Fireinsidemyveins braced himself for a challenge from Mugshots Bro (Kevin Cummings) who was three-wide with a panel to go.

That threat fizzled out, however, Fireinsidemyveins used a :28.2 final quarter to dispose of Mugshots Bro by 3-1/4 lengths while Franks Watching (Ray Fisher Jr.) took the show spot.

Owned by Gary Lance and conditioned by James Clouser Jr., it was the second victory in 10 starts for the 4-year-old Fireinsidemyveins. The win moved his 2023 bankroll to $34,600 and $110,810 in his career. He paid $3.20 to win.

Con Air Hall ($5.80) led every step of the way in capturing the $10,800 Open II Trot in 1:58.4. He was able to turn back Lougazi by 2-1/4 lengths while J-s Swanman was third.

Scoring from the pylons, Con Air Hall (McNeight III) didn’t let the great post position go to waste. Firing right off the starting gate, Con Air Hall showed the way with reasonable fractions of :29.2, 1:00.0 and 1:29.3.

Heading for home, there was a wall of contenders behind Con Air Hall but no one was able to make any headway approaching the wire. Lougazi (Fisher Jr.) was the closest competition in the end while J-s Swanman (Jim Morrill Jr.) settled for second.

Owned by Ron Viele and trained by Jennifer Giuliani, it was the fourth victory in 17 starts on the season for the 10-year-old Con Air Hall. The win pushed his seasonal winnings to $29,429 and $335,639 lifetime.

Joseph Chindano Jr. completed the card with a driving triple while McNeight III, Kevin Cummings, and Morrill Jr. all doubled.  Clouser Jr. and Giuliani had two training victories apiece.

Racing will continue on Saturday at 6 p.m. with 11 races to be presented.

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by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway