Mr. Buff tries again for elusive graded stakes win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The 11-time stakes-winning New York-bred Mr. Buff is 0 for 6 in graded stakes. If he is ever going to win one, though, it seems Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior Stakes would be it. The race is run at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct, conditions under which Mr. Buff has won seven times with one second from eight career starts. Five of those victories have come in stakes – three runnings of the Jazil and two of the Alex M. Robb.

In the Excelsior, Mr. Buff will take on six opponents led by Modernist, the 2020 Risen Star Stakes winner, and the in-form Limonite, who came within a half-length of Mr. Buff in the Stymie, a one-turn mile race, on Feb. 27.

Though Mr. Buff won that day, trainer John Kimmel wasn’t thrilled with the ride he got from Manny Franco, believing the horse went too fast early on the front end. He will be reunited with Kendrick Carmouche, who had Mr. Buff sit off another horse in winning the Jazil by seven lengths on Jan. 23.

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The question Saturday is whether there will be anyone for Mr. Buff to stalk. Backsideofthemoon is in the field, and he was a front-running winner of the Queens County back in December.

Grumps Little Tots, Haikal, the 2019 Gotham winner, and Tintoretto complete the field.