New York-bred Mr. Buff returns on short rest in Saturday’s Alex M. Robb at Aqueduct
New York-bred Mr. Buff returns on short rest in Saturday’s Alex M. Robb at Aqueduct
By the NY Hot List Staff // December 10, 2020
After another failed try in a graded stakes race last weekend in the Cigar Mile (G1), the 6-year-old Mr. Buff will return to New York-bred company seeking his third consecutive victory in the mile and an eighth $100,000 Alex M. Robb at Aqueduct.
The millionaire son of Friend or Foe bounced right back from his fifth-place finish last Saturday. Trainer John Kimmel will make a last-minute decision about bringing Mr. Buff back so quickly.
“His energy level was quite high. He actually seems quite full of himself,” Kimmel said. “I’m not committed to running. We’ll get a couple more gallop days into him. The exercise rider [Jorge Munoz] that has been on him says he feels extremely energetic.
He seems to be doing fine.”
Kendrick Carmouche, who was the leading jockey at the Big A fall meeting, will get the mount on the 7-5 morning line favorite Mr. Buff since his regular rider Junior Alvarado has moved his tack to Gulfstream Park for their Championship Meeting.
Here are the Hot List picks for the Alex M. Robb:
The $100,000 Alex M. Robb, Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 8.
(2) Yankee Division (C) will step up to face NY-bred stakes company after consistent performances against state-breds at the allowance level for Rudy Rodriguez. In his most recent race, he was bet down from 6-1 to 3-1. (4) Mr. Buff returns after running in the Cigar Mile (G1) last weekend. He just does not do well in graded stakes, but he is very hard to beat when he faces NY-breds. He will try and win this race for the third time. Last year, he won it by more than seven lengths and in 2018 he got the first of nine career stakes victories by a nose. (3) City Man will face older horses for the first time in his career and switch back to the dirt. He has stakes wins on both grass and dirt including a win against open company just two weeks ago in the Gio Ponti. (6) Bankit is winless in 2020 but has four seconds and three thirds in stakes races against both open and state-bred company.
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