Tobern produces track record to take $102,500 NYSS dash

HAMBURG, N.Y. — There was a huge $102,500 purse on the in the New York Sire Stakes for the 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters at Buffalo Raceway on a blazing Wednesday afternoon (July 5) and Tobern (Crazy Wow-Bertaux) used a track record harness racing performance to pull down the massive paycheck.

Tobern ($6.80) needed every ounce of energy to nip Titan Your Grip by a neck in 2:00.3, erasing the old 2-year-old gelding trotting mark of 2:01.0 set in 2022 by Met Your Request. Voss Blue Chip (Jordan Stratton) took third place followed by Blantons Blue Chip and the favored Chaplind who finished in fourth and fifth respectively.

Never trailing in any points of call in his two qualifying wins and a victory in the $20,000 Excelsior Series at Yonkers Raceway on June 22, Tobern (John Stark Jr.) used the same strategy in stepping up into Sire Stakes competition.

Zooming off the starting car, Tobern had to deal with Titan Your Grip (Mark MacDonald) for early supremacy. Able to cross over just before the opening marker, Tobern laid down sensible fractions of :29.4, 1:01.0 and 1:31.3 over the fast track.

But things got juicy with a panel to go as Chaplind used a first over grind to get on even terms with Tobern around the far turn. The rally from Chaplind soon melted away so Tobern was left to deal with Titan Your Grip was charging fast but came up a neck short.

Owned and trained by Stark Jr., Tobern is now a perfect 2-for-2 in his career, earning $61,250 in those two tries.

There were a pair of $20,000 Excelsior Series events for the boys and Kevin Cummings steered home both winners. First, he drove Barn Credit (Credit Winner, $4.40) to a nose victory over Super Duper Cooper in 2:01.2 for the local connections of trainer Steve Pratt, Nancy Pratt, Purple Haze Stable and Out In The Country Stable.

In the second division, Whiskey Double (Chapter Seven, $3.50) was victorious for Cummings with a neck score over a fast charging Chapere (Trond Smedshammer) in 2:02.4.

Fox Valley Charliz (Sportsmaster) made it three straight victories, her second consecutive in the $15,500 Open Pace for the fillies and mares, with a 1-1/4 length nod over Miss Rockadali in a seasonal best of 1:55.2. She returned a healthy $26.60 to her faithful believers.

Imprincessgemma A strutted out to an early advantage with fractions of :28.0 and :57.0. Those splits proved to be a little too ambitious for Imprincessgemma A as she threw in the towel at the three quarter mark.

The closers were now lurking and Bet I’m Lucky took over heading into the lane but Fox Valley Charliz (Joseph Chindano Jr.) was the fastest of them all on the outside and topped Miss Rockadali (Jim Morrill Jr.) in the race to the wire. Bet I’m Lucky (James McNeight Jr.) held on for third.

Co-owned by Jeffrey Fox and Eric Cohen and trained by Christopher Petrelli, the 9-year-old Fox Valley Charliz (Sportsmaster-Red Hot Lady) has now won five times in 14 attempts in 2023. The victory placed her seasonal earnings at $50,405 and $287,602 lifetime.

Kevin Cummings completed the afternoon festivities with four victories while Chindano Jr. had three. Petrelli and David Russo each collected two training wins.

Racing will resume on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with a 13-race card slated.

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

For complete race results, click here.

by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway