Buffalo: Monti nets lifetime win 3,000

Make My Deo ($4.68) was able to make driver Drew Monti's day on Saturday afternoon (June 6) at Buffalo Raceway as he rallied from six lengths down with a quarter-mile to pace to give Monti the 3,000th driving victory of his career.

Monti, who is from Depew, New York, splits time driving on the western New York circuit and at Plainridge Park in Massachusetts. The 31-year-old Monti currently leads the driving colony at Buffalo Raceway with 92 wins and nearly $700,00 in purse earnings. He is the defending champion at both Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs.

The countdown to 3,000 came after the sixth race, as Monti steered Pro Beach to a neck win in wire-to-wire fashion. Sitting just one victory shy of the magical mark, Monti had four chances to get that win in front of family and the hometown fans before he was able to break through for the score in the 11th race, as Make My Deo seemed to be on a mission to allow it to happen.

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Racing will resume on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) with a 15-race program set. The New York Sire Stakes returns once again as eight 3-year-old filly pacers will square off in the sixth race for $121,800. There will also be three $20,000 Excelsior Series paces for the gals. There's $660 carryover in the Pick 5 that begins in the second race.

--press release (Buffalo)--