Mr. Buff Looks to Add to Resume in Excelsior

Coming off a pair of stakes wins on the local strip, the venerable New York-bred Mr. Buff  will look to finally break through in a graded stakes race April 3 on Aqueduct Racetrack's main track when he lines up against six rivals in the $150,000 Excelsior Stakes (G3) for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles.

Mr. Buff, who has already secured millionaire status, still stands out as a leading attraction. The Chester and Mary Broman homebred has 17 wins to his credit, 11 of them in stakes races, but has been unable to seal the deal in a graded race in six attempts.

Despite his graded woes, the 7-year-old son of Friend Or Foe   has compiled an imposing résumé. His ledger at Aqueduct features 10 wins and earnings in excess of $600,000.

After a distant fifth-place finish in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) to begin the Big A winter meet Dec. 5, Mr. Buff rebounded with an encouraging runner-up performance in the Alex M. Robb Stakes for New York-breds just seven days later and has since rattled off wins in the Feb. 27 Stymie Stakes and Jan. 23 Jazil Stakes against open company.

With his affinity for Aqueduct well established, his trainer John Kimmel hopes at long last the Excelsior will mark his first graded triumph.

"He's doing terrific," Kimmel said of the chestnut gelding. "He's been acting great, breezing great, and he certainly has a good record at Aqueduct. He's been so consistent on this track that I have to think he's going to give another good performance. He's beaten a lot of graded winners, so we'll see what happens."

Kendrick Carmouche, who was aboard for his runaway score in the Jazil when he came from just off the pace, will have the call from the outermost post.

"If he's ridden the right way I think he's going to win," said Kimmel. "Kendrick understands the kind of horse he is; he knows he doesn't need to be committed to the lead. He can find his rhythm with that big stride of his and high cruising speed, and hopefully, he can make a comfortable lead, but if not Kendrick knows to be patient."

Backsideofthemoon , another popular older claimer, will rejoin the stakes ranks in the Excelsior after being taken back by trainer Robert Klesaris in his last start for $62,500. Like Mr. Buff, Backsideofthemoon has a history of running his best races at Aqueduct, and the 9-year-old even ran a career best race here Dec. 19 in the Queens County Stakes, which he won by six lengths.

The Malibu Moon   gelding will break from post 3 with jockey Trevor McCarthy in the irons.

Todd Pletcher looks to saddle a horse-for-course with Shadwell homebred Haikal . Formerly under the care of now-retired trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, the son of Daaher   made a name for himself over this track in early 2019 as a 3-year-old, when he won the Gotham Stakes (G3) and looked like a legitimate Derby prospect before being forced to hit the sidelines following a third-place finish in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2).

Haikal nearly returned a winner at the Big A to begin his 2020 campaign, but three subsequent tries, all at Gulfstream Park in graded stakes company, have produced underwhelming results.

"He didn't seem to like Gulfstream at all," said Pletcher, who took over Haikal's training duties when McLaughlin retired early last year. "His form is good at Aqueduct. Hopefully, by getting him back to Aqueduct, we'll get him back on course."

Haikal will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from the inside post.

Entries: Excelsior S. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, April 03, 2021, Race 8

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:31 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Haikal (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
2	2Grumps Little Tots (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Rob Atras	20/1
3	3Backsideofthemoon (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	120	Robert P. Klesaris	5/1
4	4Limonite (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	Amira Chichakly	9/2
5	5Modernist (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	7/2
6	6Tintoretto (GER)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Thomas Albertrani	50/1
7	7Mr. Buff (NY)	Kendrick Carmouche	122	John C. Kimmel	4/5

Speedy Drain the Clock Tops Field for Bay Shore

A compact but competitive field of 3-year-old dirt sprinters has assembled for Saturday's $200,000 Bay Shore Stakes (G3) at seven furlongs on the Aqueduct Racetrack main track led by Florida shipper Drain the Clock , who enters off a runner-up finish in the Feb. 27 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park.

While the temptation for most connections would be to forge ahead on the Kentucky Derby trail after picking up 20 qualifying points in the Fountain of Youth, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and an ownership coalition of Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Michael Nentwig have elected to abandon such quixotic pursuits and instead focus on shorter races with their talented sophomore.

A son of Maclean's Music   out of an Arch mare, Drain the Clock has a sparkling record in sprint races, with only one blemish on his résumé which came in the seven-furlong Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs when an iron broke and he lost his rider. Aside from that mishap, the chestnut colt has four wins in dirt dashes, including a pair of open-length stakes-winning tallies at Gulfstream during their recent Championship Meet, and nearly wired the field last out in the Fountain of Youth but was run down late by a legitimate Kentucky Derby prospect in Greatest Honour .

"He's never got beat going one turn," said Joseph. "He ran a credible race in the Fountain of Youth, but I think he's best at one turn, and we're hoping he'll show up and run his usual race."

Looking for his fifth win from just seven starts, Drain the Clock will break from post 3 with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for the first time.

While Drain the Clock has undoubtedly compiled the most impressive résumé of anyone in the Bay Shore, a quartet of hungry challengers has lined up behind him to take their shots.

The likely favorite's stiffest competition could come from the Pennsylvania-bred Beren , who is seeking his third straight victory as he makes his foray into New York via Parx Racing.

Trained by Butch Reid Jr. for Susan Quick and Christopher Feifarek, it took Beren a little while to figure things out but he's been in solid form in 2021 as he broke his maiden by 6 1/4 lengths two starts ago and followed it up with a two-length score over a group of first-level allowance optional claimers March 3 at Parx Racing.

"He's doing very well. He just had a nice little blowout, has won his last two, and is brimming with confidence. It's a short field so why not take a chance," said Reid. "He's really matured this year. He was a gangly horse as a 2-year-old, but he's filled out nicely and looks good. He put on weight like a 3-year-old colt should, and we're real excited about him."

Beren will be ridden by Manny Franco from post 5.

Coming off a win in the slop at Oaklawn Park, the Steve Asmussen-trained Whiskey Double  adds to the out-of-town flavor of the Bay Shore.

A bay son of Into Mischief  , Whiskey Double took his debut early in his juvenile year on June 27 at Churchill Downs but didn't resurface again until January of this year, when he finished third in a sprint at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots behind O Besos , who recently placed third in the March 20 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2). After a dull effort going 1 1/16 miles Feb. 13 at Fair Grounds, Whiskey Double responded well to a turnback in distance in his last start, in which he prevailed by three-quarters of a length in a six-furlong dash at Oaklawn.

Jose Ortiz will be aboard the Winchell Thoroughbreds color-bearer from post 4.

Entries: Bay Shore S. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, April 03, 2021, Race 4

• Grade III
• 7f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo
• 2:21 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Too Boss (PA)	Kendrick Carmouche	118	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
2	2Garoppolo (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Kelly J. Breen	15/1
3	3Drain the Clock (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	1/2
4	4Whiskey Double (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Steven M. Asmussen	3/1
5	5Beren (PA)	Manuel Franco	118	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	5/1