Driver Keith Kash Jr. made a rare appearance at Buffalo Raceway on Wednesday afternoon (April 27) and he did so in fine fashion by steering Pretty Blue Angel to a $7.90 victory in the featured $14,000 Open I-II Pace for the fillies and mares.
A regular on the Northfield Park circuit, Kash Jr. made his first start at Buffalo Raceway since March 6, 2013. Ironically, that last race he drove in was the Fillies and Mares Open Pace.
Pretty Blue Angel found plenty of competition throughout the mile but still had enough in the tank to fend off Delilah De Vie (Kyle Cummings) by a half-length while Xenias Chip (David McNeight III) was third.
Leaving from the inside post, Pretty Blue Angel had Larjon Legacy hounding her for the first half-mile, which went in a testing :57.2. Things weren't rosy the rest of the way for Pretty Blue Angel either.
Delilah De Vie, Xenias Chip and Odds On Dead Heat were all poised to make bids down the stretch but Pretty Blue Angel stayed on point and had enough to withstand the late charges.
Owned by Justina Ohol and conditioned by Michael Ohol, Pretty Blue Angel (Big Jim-Blue Angel Cam) recorded her first win of the 2022 season. The five-year-old mare has produced $21,915 in earnings this year and $83,042 in her career.
Mach Of Shame ($13.40) went gate-to-wire and never looked back in collecting the victory in the $9,800 event for the distaff pacers in 1:59.3. She beat JK Kissntell (Justin Irvine) by two lengths while Hey Kobe (Jim Morrill Jr.) survived an inquiry and finished in third.
Stomping out fractions of :29.4, 1:00.2 and 1:30.3 over the sloppy track, Mach Of Shame put the field to shame and was never seriously confronted in her tour around the Buffalo Raceway half-mile oval.
Owned by Michael Ohol Jr. and trained by Michael Ohol, the six-year-old mare Mach Of Shame (Mach Three-Spend It All) also earned her first seasonal win in nine tries. The triumph pushed her seasonal bankroll to $16,558 and lifetime earnings to $86,635.
Kevin Cummings finished the afternoon with a driving triple while Morrill Jr. and Kyle Cummings each posted a double. Gerry Sarama conditioned three winners with Jennifer Giuliani and Ohol getting two apiece.
Racing is set to resume on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. with a 13-race program.
(With files from Buffalo Raceway)