Mr. Buff works toward New Orleans Handicap

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mr. Buff worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Friday morning over Belmont Park’s training track and is being pointed to the Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Handicap on March 23 at Fair Grounds.

The work, in which he shaded 36 seconds for the final three furlongs, was the fastest of 25 at the distance Friday morning. Junior Alvarado was up for the move.

“Junior called me after the breeze and said he had him in the three or four path in the stretch and that he did it on his own,” trainer John Kimmel said by phone from Ocala, Fla., where he was attending the breeze show for next week’s OBS 2-year-olds in training sale.

Mr. Buff, a New York-bred son of Friend Or Foe, has won four straight 1 1/8-mile, two-turn races, including the Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct by 5 1/4 lengths. Overall, he is 5 for 5 in nine-furlong races around two turns, which is the configuration of the New Orleans Handicap.

“I think it’s worth going,” Kimmel said. “The horse is in good form, and there’s nothing really exciting in the handicap division. Why not take a chance? He’s worthy.”

Kimmel said Mr. Buff would have one more breeze at Belmont before shipping on March 16 to New Orleans.

◗ Joevia, runner-up to Haikal in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes here Feb. 9, worked five furlongs in 1:01.54 on Friday morning over the Belmont training track. He is pointing to next Saturday’s Private Terms Stakes at Laurel.

The Private Terms is run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns and will be Joevia’s first try going that far.