Mr. Buff impresses in winning Jazil Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mr. Buff remained unbeaten in 1 1/8-mile races run around two turns with a front-running, 5 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct.

Able to make the lead rather easily under Junior Alvarado entering the first turn, Mr. Buff maintained a measured lead over Thebigfundamental through splits of 25.05 seconds for the quarter, 49.90 for the half, and 1:13.25 for six furlongs. Thebigfundamental faded by the quarter pole, and though heavily favored Sunny Ridge was right there turning for home, Mr. Buff ran away from him in the lane to get the victory.

It was the eighth victory from 26 starts for Mr. Buff, a 5-year-old New York-bred gelding by Friend or Foe owned and bred by Chester and Mary Broman and trained by John Kimmel. Starting Nov. 14, Mr. Buff has reeled off four consecutive victories, all at 1 1/8 miles over Aqueduct’s main track. In August, he also won a 1 1/8-mile allowance at Saratoga.

“He was having trouble getting off his inside lead in those flat-mile races and seven-eighths races,” Kimmel said from Florida, where he watched the race via simulcast. “I think if we run him around two turns, he’s going to have a much easier transition lead-wise. He’s got such a big stride.”

With David Cohen having moved his tack to Oaklawn, Alvarado had the mount on Mr. Buff for the first time since last April. He knew he wanted to make the lead, he just didn’t know how hard he was going to have to run to get there.

“I had to go to the lead no matter what. If I go easy, if I go fast, if I go medium pace, I just had to go and take it from there,” Alvarado said. “I was pretty happy when we went the first quarter pretty easy.”

Mr. Buff finished in 1:50.71 over a fast track and returned $9.90 to win.

In addition to the $55,000 first-place purse, Mr. Buff earned $8,250 as a Diamond Member of the New York Starter Loyalty Program. The program, put in place by the New York Racing Association last April, offers bonus money based on the number of starts made in a year at NYRA tracks by March 31. This was Mr. Buff’s 12th start in nine months, thus enabling him to run for 15 percent more money.

Sunny Ridge, who won this race in 2017, was heavily favored based on his close third-place finish in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 1. He raced a bit wide down the backside under Manny Franco but simply was no match for Mr. Buff while maintaining second by a half-length over Thebigfundamental. Hero’s Welcome was fourth, followed by Title Ready and Holiday Bonus. Backsideofthemoon scratched.

“I thought I was on the best horse. I didn’t want to get in trouble or nothing,” Franco said. “The pace was so slow, the track is fast – I think all that worked against my horse.”

With no two-turn, 1 1/8-mile races available in New York until April, Kimmel said he may look out of town for Mr. Buff’s next start. On Feb. 18, Oaklawn Park has the Grade 3, $500,000 Razorback Handicap at 1 1/16 miles around two turns.