Mr. Buff won’t be easily caught

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Put him on an easy lead and Mr. Buff has been near unbeatable over the past 12 months. But securing an easy lead may not be so easy when the speedy gelding returns to Saratoga for Wednesday’s $100,000 Evan Shipman.

The Evan Shipman drew a field of nine older New Yorkbreds, including Control Group, who finished third in this race a year ago after taking part in a hotly contested pace.

Mr. Buff enters the Evan Shipman off one of the most impressive performances of his career, a wire-to-wire, 6 ¼-length triumph going 1 1/16 miles in the Saginaw five weeks ago at Belmont Park. The 100 Beyer Speed Figure he received marked the third time he’d been in triple digits during his 29-race career. And Mr. Buff has been even better at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Evan Shipman, having won five of his seven starts at that distance, including the Jazil with a 102 Beyer against open company last winter at Aqueduct.

“I always thought that a bigstriding horse like him, coming out of more sprinting-type races at a mile and one mile and a sixteenth, would be more effective and better able to use his big stride going a mile and one-eighth,” said John Kimmel, who trains Mr. Buff for ownerbreeders Chester and Mary Broman.

Kimmel said he does have some concerns about the other speed signed on for the Evan Shipman, including Vincento, a wire-to-wire winner at 1 1/8 miles against open allowance company over this track earlier in the meet. Junior Alvarado rides Mr. Buff for the fifth straight time on Wednesday.

Kimmel said of Mr. Buff: “He’s been doing great, and at some point he’s going to have to deal with some other speed like that. He’s going to come out forwardly, but we’re not going to send him off his feet. Junior knows him well enough that if somebody else is intent on going for the lead and wants to work hard to get it, then we’re going to have to sit behind him.”

Vincento, scratched out of Sunday’s 6 1/2-furlong John Morrissey Stakes, breaks from the rail and brings a two-race winning streak into the Evan Shipman. Trainer Linda Rice had Vincento claimed from her in March and re-claimed him for $40,000 out of a victory at Belmont on June 20.

Sea Foam, a distant third after chasing Mr. Buff to midstretch in the Saginaw, also figures to be forwardly placed, as does Gio d’Oro, who has not been headed during the opening half-mile in his last five starts, three of which resulted in victories for the red-hot Brad Cox stable.

Control Group’s last three victories have all come at Finger Lakes. He finished third behind Mr. Buff after rating off the early pace over a muddy track in the Alex M. Robb Stakes last December at Aqueduct.

A strong pace would enhance the chances of Dynamax Prime, a late-running second to Mr. Buff in the Saginaw, as well as Twisted Tom and Evaluator. The Finger Lakes-based Winston’s Chance completes the field.