Muskingum finds a winning recipe at Buffalo Raceway

HAMBURG, New York — A softer test and an inside pole was the perfect harness racing recipe for Muskingum (Triumphant caviar-Abbey Craig) ($2.90) as the only mare in the field showed the gentlemen how it was done by taking the $9,000 trot to Buffalo Speedway on Friday afternoon (June 21). She beat Spirit Of Success by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:57.4 on the fast track.

Muskingum, who had already competed in open competitions in mid-May, has slipped in the last three starts. Now arriving at the Class B level and drawing the pylons, Muskingum and his driver Joseph Chindano Jr. took full advantage of the situation.

When the starting gate opened, Muskingum was ready to go as she shot straight up and collected fractions of :29.4, :59.4 and 1:28.3. As Spirit Of Success (Drew Monti) and Jumpinthejailhouse (John Cummings Jr.) pursued Muskingum and returned home, they had little response and had to settle for minor rewards.

Owned by Fox Racing Inc. and trained by Maggie Chindano, Muskingum has now earned four wins in 15 tries this season. The win brought his earnings for 2024 to $25,660 and $246,829 lifetime.

In the $9,000 three-feature beat, Better B Swift (The gambler’s pleasure-Swift N Shout) was really “fast” when he needed to be and set the pace by setting the pace for RD Skippy in the shadows of the finish line, taking the victory by the neck in 1:59.0 .

In Class B Pace there was a three-way fight for early supremacy with RD Skippy and driver Kevin Cummings managing to come out on top. With fractions of :29.0, 1:00.1 and 1:29.0 on the board, the final quarter mile would decide the race.

RD Skippy headed home with the advantage, but Better B Swift (Monti) dove into the passing lane and eventually ran out of pace. Silas Seelster finished third but was disqualified for interference, thus placing Silverhill Blaze (Jim Morrill Jr.) in the exhibition position.

Owned by Keith Pinkowski and conditioned by Mihajlo Zdjelar Jr., it was the third victory in 17 attempts of the campaign for the 7-year-old Better B Swift. His bankroll grew to $19,189 over the year and $181,163 over his career. He paid $5.10 to win.

The other $9,000 Class B trot saw Pennant Seelster (A man of many missions-Papi Levac) flew over the pylons and shocked All About Thechase by two lengths with a season best of 1:59.3. He paid a whopping $43.60 for this domestic winning trip.

Pennant Seelster and driver Kyle Swift watched patiently in the pocket as SS Tys Aflyin (Chindano Jr.) took off from the seventh post.

During the long home stretch, SS Tys Aflyin had many contenders trying to make shots, but it was Pennant Seelster who came through the ‘lightning lane’ to take the surprise victory. All About Thechase (James McNeight Jr.) rallied for second place while SS Tys Aflin had to settle for third.

Owned by Rose Campbell and trained by David Weston, this was the third trip to the winner’s circle in 16 starts for Pennant Seelster. The win brought his seasonal earnings to $19,961 and $187,527 over the course of his career.

Racing will resume Saturday evening with a program of 14 races with a post scheduled for 6 p.m.

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by Brian J. Mazurekfor the Buffalo circuit