Despite gate problems, Mr. Buff easily takes Evan Shipman Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - He had some issues in the starting gate and had to rally from off the pace for the first time around two turns, but in the end it did not matter to Mr. Buff, who scored to a popular and very easy 3 1/2-length victory over Dynamax Prime in Wednesday’s $100,000 Evan Shipman at Saratoga.

Jockey Junior Alvarado had to dismount from Mr. Buff prior to the start of the 1 1/8-mile Evan Shipman after the 3-5 favorite got his foot caught on top of the pontoon the assistant starters stand on in the gate. He then broke a bit awkwardly before eventually being reined back off the early pace of Sea Foam.

Mr. Buff joined Sea Foam from the inside after the opening half-mile, ultimately discouraged that rival upon settling into the stretch, opened a commanding advantage inside the sixteenth pole and was taken in hand by Alvarado through the final 100 yards.

Dynamax Prime, a well-beaten second behind Mr. Buff five weeks earlier in the Saginaw Stakes at Belmont Park, rallied mildly along the inside to be second best again while never seriously menacing the winner. He in turn finished 2 1/2 lengths in front of Winston’s Chance.

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The win was the sixth in eight tries for Mr. Buff at a mile and one-eighth, with his only poor effort at the distance a disastrous outing at the Fair Grounds in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap on March 23.

John Kimmel trains the homebred son of Friend or Foe for owners Chester and Mary Broman.

Mr. Buff completed the distance in 1:51.65 and paid $3.20.

“For a horse who has got a lot of 1’s in his past performance lines, for him to be behind horses and come up the inside and outrun these horses, I’m pretty proud of the effort,” said Kimmel. “I just hope he didn’t pull something in his upper body or his hind leg when he did that in the gate.”

Kimmel said Mr. Buff could return to open company here later this summer in the Grade 1 Woodward, which will also be run at 1 1/8 miles.

“We made one venture out of New York-bred company to the un-Fair Grounds and it was a disaster. I really don’t know what happened because the horse couldn’t have been doing better,” Kimmel said. “But its home here, we’ve been tinkering with the idea of a nice two-turn race against open company and if he comes out of this race without any issues, we’ll probably keep him eligible for the Woodward.”