Mr. Buff freshened up for Jazil three-peat attempt

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer John Kimmel won last Saturday’s $100,000 Franklin Square Stakes with longshot Secret Love. This Saturday, he will seek to win the $100,000 Jazil Stakes with likely favorite Mr. Buff.

Mr. Buff, the 7-year-old millionaire New York-bred gelding, has won the last two runnings of the Jazil, run at 1 1/8 miles over the main track. Mr. Buff finished last in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 5 and then came back a week later and finished second to Bankit in the Alex M. Robb Handicap versus New York breds.

“He was tired. I walked him for a week,” Kimmel said.

On Sunday, Mr. Buff worked a half-mile in 49.22 seconds, starting about two or three lengths behind Blu Grotto and finishing on even terms at the wire through a fast, wind-aided final quarter.

:: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more.

“We wanted to give him a target,” Kimmel said.

The Jazil drew a field of only five, including Backsideofthemoon, the 2018 Jazil winner and a six-length winner of the Queens County on Dec. 19; Musical Heart, runner-up in the Queens County; Tenderfoot, trained by Charlie Baker and a winner of three straight races; and longshot Fame to Famous. On Monday, Tenderfoot worked four furlongs in 46.26 seconds over the Belmont Park training track. That was the fastest of 87 half-mile works at the distance.

Sunny Ridge, the 2017 Jazil Stakes winner, is now trained by Kimmel. On Sunday, Sunny Ridge worked a half-mile in 48.22 seconds, his eighth work since Nov. 22. Sunny Ridge, a seven-time stakes winner and earner of more than $1.4 million, has not run since finishing third in last January’s Grade 3 Toboggan.

Trained by Jason Servis then, Sunny Ridge was transferred to Kimmel following the indictment of Servis on horse-doping charges. Kimmel said Sunny Ridge still has to pass certain hair follicle, blood and urine tests that were required to be performed on all Servis-trained runners before being permitted to run. Sunny Ridge is nominated to the Grade 3 Toboggan on Jan. 31.

“He’s actually training pretty well,” Kimmel said. “I don’t know if he’s going to be at the level he used to be.”

Meanwhile, Secret Love earned a modest 72 Beyer Speed for her victory in the Franklin Square. Kimmel has both her and Frost Me, another New York-bred 3-year-old filly, under consideration for the Maddie May Stakes on Feb. 20. He could also point one of them to the $250,000 Busher Invitational going a mile on March 6.