Mr. Buff goes to the front and cruises by five lengths in Jazil Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though Mr. Buff had shown the ability to succeed sitting off another horse or two, jockey Junior Alvarado didn’t see the opportunity to do that in Saturday’s $100,000 Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct.

Originally an eight-horse field, the Jazil scratched down to five by post time. One of the scratches was Roaming Union, the horse Alvarado felt on paper was the one he could follow.

Thus, Alvarado put Mr. Buff in a familiar place - on the lead - and despite being stalked intently by Leitone through solid fractions over a deep, sloppy track, Mr.Buff kept on going, splashing his way to a five-length victory in the Jazil. Mr. Buff ($3.50) won as the 3-5 favorite after entering the gate at 6-5.

Backsideofthemoon, the longest shot in the field at 20-1, got second by a nose over Adventist. Leitone and Stan the Man completed the order of finish. In addition to Roaming Union, Small Bear and 2019 Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston also scratched.

Mark Casse, the trainer of Sir Winston, said he scratched due to the sloppy track and not anything associated with the foot issue that Sir Winston developed after throwing a shoe in a recent workout.

Mr. Buff, meanwhile, won for the 13th time in 35 starts. He increased his career earnings to $992,411 for owners/breeders Chester and Mary Broman and trainer John Kimmel.

Mr. Buff is now 6 for 6 in 1 1/8-mile races at Aqueduct. He won last year’s Jazil by 5 1/4 lengths.

Mr. Buff won last year’s Jazil on a fast track while setting pedestrian fractions.

Saturday, in the wind and slop of Aqueduct, Mr. Buff ran an opening quarter in 23.53 seconds, a half-mile in 47.30 and six furlongs in 1:11.65 with Leitone, under Jose Lezcano, a length behind. Leitone surrendered nearing the quarter pole and Mr. Buff was gone.

Mr. Buff, a 6-year-old gelding by Friend or Foe, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.82

“My enemy was Jose Lezcano, if I let him go I would never catch him,” Alvarado said. “He would have to chase me, hopefully, I will break him and I get away. I didn’t think there’ll be any horse coming at the end. That was my strategy and it worked out at the end.”

Mr. Buff has a tendency not to switch to his correct lead in the stretch and Kimmel noted that it was important for him to do so on Saturday after he had to run hard early on.

“That was a legitimate pace,” Kimmel said. “The main thing I’m focused on turning for home is he going to get on his outside lead. Usually in races when he’s pressed pretty hard, he’s had a little difficulty switching to his outside lead and I think when he does that it gives him a little extra boost of energy.”

Though Kimmel has tried to run Mr. Buff in graded stakes out of town, it hasn’t worked out. Kimmel said Mr. Buff would likely stay at Aqueduct with races such as the Haynesfield (Feb. 22), Bernardini (Feb. 29), Stymie (March 7), and Excelsior (April 4) as options.

Stan the Man, winner of the Queens County last out, disappointed, fading to last after chasing the pace from third.

Jockey Dylan Davis said “I thought I was in a good position, Mr. Buff was handling [the slop] pretty well, I was trying to get to him but it felt like my horse had a little bit of difficulty getting a hold of the track today.”