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Stymie Gives New York-Bred Mr. Buff 11th Career Stakes Score

New York-bred legend Mr. Buff tallied another stakes win, commanding a swift pace on the front end and holding on for victory against Limonite's late confrontation in Saturday's 65th running of the $125,000 Stymie at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

A Chester and Mary Broman homebred, Mr. Buff arrived at the open company one-turn mile for older horses off his third straight win in the Jazil going nine furlongs at the Big A. The John Kimmel trained son of Friend Or Foe owns triumphs in multiple New York-bred stakes events for older dirt horses on the NYRA circuit including the Alex M. Robb, the Empire Classic, the Evan Shipman, the Saginaw and the Haynesfield, which he won last February by an astounding 20 lengths.

Mr. Buff was asked from the gate by jockey Manny Franco and established a one-length lead ahead of Alwaysmining and Musical Heart to mark the opening quarter-mile in 22.96 seconds over a sloppy and sealed main track.

Alwaysmining dropped out of contention approaching the turn with the half-mile in 45.51, leaving Mr. Buff and Musical Heart alone on the front end. Franco remained relaxed aboard Mr. Buff as Dylan Davis asked Musical Heart for more run through the turn.

Franco gave Mr. Buff his cue at the quarter pole with a stubborn Musical Heart 2 ½ lengths back in second. The pair continued to race one-two a sixteenth out from the wire, as Limonite launched a furious late bid on the far outside from the four-path. Class prevailed in the end as Mr. Buff held on for a half-length victory in a final time of 1:36.97. It was another half-length back to Musical Heart in third.

Tintoretto and Alwaysmining completed the order of finish.

Mr. Buff registered his 11th career stakes win and added $68,750 to his already lucrative bankroll, which now stands at $1,364,536 through a 44-17-8-4 career. A stakes winner at all three NYRA circuit tracks, Mr. Buff has displayed quite the affinity for Aqueduct with a consistent 17-10-4-0 record.

Franco said he wanted to establish a good early tempo.

“I wanted to make sure I broke out of there running,” Franco said. “The two horse [Musical Heart] kept pushing my horse and I know my horse can rate but I just wanted to let him do his thing. When I got to the front, I was happy, and I know that's the way he likes to run.

“He's got a big stride and he just outrun the other horses,” Franco added. “The last sixteenth I felt he was tiring, but I know he went pretty quick the first part, and that was my plan.”

Jockey Eric Cancel, aboard runner-up Limonite, said he was pleased with his horse's late-charging effort.

“They were putting in a pretty decent pace at the beginning. It was a little quick for my horse to keep him up close,” Cancel said. “But my horse, at the end, gave me all that he had, and we almost got there. He tried. He doesn't have any problems in the slop, hopefully he keeps on improving.”

The Amira Chichakly-trained runner-up also pleased his co-owner Brian Novak, who claimed the 5-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid two starts back for $40,000. Limonite entered the Stymie from a five-length optional-claiming win on February 8 at the Big A.

“For a $40,000 claimer, he seems like a completely different horse,” Novak said. “We almost won this one, if he wasn't so far out. The speed was just a little much for him. But I'd like to see his Beyer [Speed Figure] after this one.”

Bred in the Empire State by his owners, Mr. Buff is out of the graded stakes-placed Speightstown mare Speightful Affair. He paid $3.40 to win.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

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‘Acting Like He’s Three’: Ageless Mr. Buff Returns In Saturday’s Stymie

Chester and Mary Broman's New York-bred legend Mr. Buff will attempt to notch his 11th career stakes victory in Saturday's 65th running of the $125,000 Stymie contested at a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 7-year-old son of Friend Or Foe has put together a notable resume, which includes back-to-back wins in the Alex M. Robb at Aqueduct in 2018-19 and Empire Classic at Belmont Park in 2019-20 as well as victories in the 2019 Saginaw and Evan Shipman and the 2020 Haynesfield at the Big A, which he won by an astounding 20 lengths while recording a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Mr. Buff arrives at the Stymie off a seven-length romp in the nine-furlong Jazil on Jan. 23, which he won for the third straight year in a stellar 2021 bow. The sizable homebred, who sports a 43-16-8-4 lifetime record, has banked $1,295,786 in earnings while boasting a highly consistent 16-9-4-0 ledger at Aqueduct.

Mr. Buff has trained forwardly for conditioner John Kimmel since earning a 102 Beyer for his Jazil score. He has breezed three times over the Belmont training track, most recently a half-mile move in :48.40 on February 20.

“He's doing fine and even though he's seven he's acting like he's three. He's handling everything really well right now,” said Kimmel, who won the 2001 Stymie with Windrush.

Kimmel said that Mr. Buff's optimal conditions include the freedom to get into his own rhythm and avoid being forced into speed duels.

“He's got good tactical speed, but the times he's gotten in trouble is when he's been pushed past his comfort zone and intent on going to the lead,” Kimmel said. “As he has shown in races past, he has been able to sit behind horses that have shown a little more speed. That's key to this race being an eighth of a mile shorter. There might be a little more pace in there. He's always been a good gate horse. The most important thing is getting him to find his rhythm in the first part of the race.”

Jockey Manny Franco will ride Mr. Buff from post 3.

Runnymoore Racing's Alwaysmining ships to New York from Laurel Park for trainer Austin Trites, who saddled the son of Stay Thirsty to a one-mile optional-claiming score on January 30 at Laurel Park. The 10-time winner of 24 starts has won at least two stakes races in his last three seasons, which began with a pair of juvenile victories in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity and the Heft in December 2018 at Laurel while under the care of trainer Kelly Rubley.

Alwaysmining's sophomore campaign encompassed victories in the 2019 Miracle Wood, Private Terms and the Federico Tesio at the Maryland oval before a distant 11th in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

In 2020, Alwaysmining kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with two more stakes victories, beating fellow Maryland-breds in the Jennings before stepping to open company in the John Campbell, where he garnered a career-best 101 Beyer.

Despite capturing most of his stakes wins in frontrunning fashion, Alwaysmining registered his most recent victory coming from fifth, four lengths off the pace, and was in command inside the eighth pole kicking clear to a three-length win last month.

Jorge Vargas, Jr. has the mount from post 5.

Michael Dubb's Musical Heart will try and build on stakes black type from his last two efforts for trainer Rob Atras.

The 6-year-old Maclean's Music chestnut was claimed by Atras for $62,500 following a close second to Backsideofthemoon going nine furlongs on November 13 over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track. He followed up with a more distant second to his familiar foe in the Queens County on December 19 before finishing third in the Jazil behind winner Mr. Buff.

Musical Heart, who has placed in seven of his last eight starts, will break from post 2 under Dylan Davis.

Completing the field are Brian and Kerry Novak Inc.'s Limonite [post 4, Eric Cancel], who is fresh off a five-length allowance score going nine furlongs at Aqueduct for trainer Amira Chichakly; and John O'Connor's Tintoretto [post 1, Trevor McCarthy], a German-bred who seeks his first triumph in North America for trainer Tom Albertrani.

The Stymie is slated as Race 3 on Saturday's nine-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

The race honors Ethel D. Jacobs' 1945 Champion Older Horse, who captured some of New York's marquee events such as the Whitney, the Metropolitan Handicap and the Manhattan. Campaigned by Hall of Famer Hirsch Jacobs during his prosperous years, Stymie retired with $918,475 in earnings and a record of 131-35-33-28. He was elected to the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1975.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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‘Prancing Around The Barn’: Millionaire Mr. Buff Targets Feb. 27 Stymie

Chester and Mary Broman's long-time New York-bred veteran Mr. Buff has shown no signs of slowing down, winning his 7-year-old debut with a seven-length romp in the Jazil on Jan. 23 at Aqueduct Racetrack. On Saturday, the John Kimmel trainee recorded a strong showing in the morning, putting in a bullet five-furlong breeze in 1:00.40 over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Mr. Buff, a homebred who has produced a 16-8-4 record in 43 career starts with earnings of nearly $1.3 million, will next target the $125,000 Stymie for 4-year-olds and up going one mile on Feb. 27 at Aqueduct.

“My assistant says he's acting like a 2-year-old; he's got a great look in his eye and his energy level is high,” said Kimmel, who is currently working with his contingent at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida. “He's been prancing around the barn.”

Mr. Buff has found a comfort zone running in listed stakes, finishing in the money in his last 13 appearances with a gaudy 10-2-1 record dating to the Alex M. Robb in December 2018. Since that victory at the Big A, the only times Mr. Buff has not earned black type have been in graded stakes efforts, which included respective fifth-place efforts in last year's editions of the Grade 1 Whitney, Grade 1 Cigar Mile and Grade 2 Suburban.

The Friend Or Foe gelding has been a force with Kimmel crediting finding the right riders to coax the most out of him. Kendrick Carmouche has been aboard Mr. Buff's last two starts, including a runner-up effort in the Alex M. Robb on Dec. 12.

“I'm sure he'll break through sooner or later [in graded stakes] and I think it's going to come down to having the right guy riding him and not taking him out of his comfort zone,” Kimmel said. “He has good tactical speed and in those races, there's other horses who have that speed and they don't give up quite as easily. I think the main thing is to let him find his own rhythm and don't push him out of his comfort zone. That's what's going to be the riding rule for anyone who gets on him. Kendrick did a great job on him.”

Mr. Buff has historically fared well at Aqueduct, compiling a 9-4-0 record in 13 starts, including last out when he earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure for his Jazil victory.

“Last time, he stayed in his rhythm and went comfortably and he switched leads on a dime at the top of the stretch and you knew it was over from there,” Kimmel said.

While Kimmel has plans for a consistent presence on the stakes circuit, a pair of talented sophomore fillies will look to make their mark at a higher level as Frost Me and Secret Love breezed in company on Saturday ahead of expected starts in the $100,000 Maddie May for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies on Feb. 20 at the Big A.

Nedlaw Stable and Tobey Morton's Secret Love has a pair of wins and a runner-up effort to her credit through three career starts, including a triumphant stakes debut last out when she outkicked Laobanonaprayer by 1 1/2 lengths in the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin Square on Jan. 16 at Aqueduct.

Whisper Hill Farm's Frost Me is also 2-1-0 in three starts, winning her debut on a race moved off the turf on Oct. 12 at Belmont before running second next out to Laobanonaprayer in the Maid of the Mist at one mile over Big Sandy on Oct. 24. The daughter of Frosted bested optional claiming company by a length in her Aqueduct debut on Jan. 8 going a one-turn mile.

The stablemates were each clocked going four furlongs in :50.85 over the Belmont dirt training track Saturday.

“I've worked them in company many times and I think Secret Love may just be a little quicker than the other, so that might spill out to the race where she goes and the other one might be sitting back,” Kimmel said. “We'll see what happens.”

Kimmel said Frost Me could eventually project as a turf contender later in the year.

“I always wanted to try Frost Me on the grass; I think she might jump-up her ability level when we try her there,” Kimmel said. “She's been putting in the effort, but I think she'll even improve when she gets to the grass.”

The Maddie May, contested at one mile, will mark the first time Secret Love will be tested in a non-sprint.

“I think she can run on anything. She's a nice mover and tries hard,” Kimmel said.

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