Buffalo: Stakes parade on the Wednesday card

Buffalo Raceway is going to be a busy place on Wednesday afternoon (July 8) as the New York Sire Stakes and Excelsior Series will dominate the 15-race program that gets underway at 2:30 p.m. There is $376,900 up for grabs throughout the day.

It will be double barreled action as the 2-year-old pacers will take center stage. The card will feature both the fillies along with the colt and gelding pacers who will battle in both the New York Sire Stakes and Excelsior Series events. 

The first 10 races will be all stakes and will bring in some of the top drivers, including Jason Bartlett, Mark MacDonald, Matt Kakaley, Tyler Buter, Braxten Boyd, Dan Daley, Kyle Swift, Leon Bailey and Cory Stratton. They will battle local stalwarts in Drew Monti and Brett MacDonald, who will try and get their share of the purses.

There will be a pair of $52,500 events for the freshman filly pacers in the NYSS which will have four and five participants each and will take place in the first and seventh races. The gentlemen pacers will get their chances for the $54,500 purses in the fourth and sixth races and have a pair of seven horse fields.

The Excelsior Series has four fields of seven for the damsels going for $20,000 each while the male pacers have a pair of $20,000 brackets. 

Following the all stake events in the first 10 races, things don't slow down from there as the eleventh will be the $14,700 Open Pace for the fillies and mares.

The two NYSS races for the ladies has the two winners from the opening round on Yonkers back on June 29.

Cowboy Candy (So Surreal-Caviart Erin) took her division with a three-quarter length score in 1:56 4/5 and will be in the first race.

Fendilicious (Huntsville-Brooklyn Lilacs) tops the field in the seventh race after notching a length win at Yonkers in 1:57 1/5.

The colt and geldings are basically unproven at this point with seven of the 14 entrants getting their initial start. Of the seven that do have a start thus far, a pair have already claimed a victory.

Free Agent (American Ideal-Free Ticket) found the winner's circle upon first asking with a three-quarter length victory in 1:55 2/5 on June 29 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Also on the same day, Marie's Jet (Roll With Joe-R Marie Hanover) got the photo opportunity with a 1:52 time at Harrah's Philadelphia. The pair will go in the fourth and sixth races respectively.

This is the start of the final two weeks of live racing at Buffalo Raceway for 2026, with closing day set for Saturday, July 18.

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

-edited release (Brian J. Mazurek for Buffalo)