Mr. Buff has 'nowhere for him to dance' after Saturday breeze

Chester and Mary Broman's multiple stakes-winning millionaire Mr. Buff worked a half-mile in 49.98 Saturday on the Belmont Park dirt training track.

Trained by John Kimmel, the 6-year-old New York-bred son of Friend or Foe is in the midst of a three-race win streak with scores in the Alex M. Robb, Jazil and Haynesfield all at the Big A.

With live racing currently suspended in New York due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Mr. Buff breezed on a day when he was expected to contest the now postponed Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior, which had been scheduled for Saturday at the Big A.

"We're just keeping him fit and not doing anything too strenuous," said Kimmel over the phone from Florida. "With older horses, it's sometimes tough to start them and stop them. I don't want him to lose any fitness. Unfortunately, at the moment, there's nowhere for him to dance."

Mr. Buff matched a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure with his visually-appealing 20-length score in the Haynesfield.

"It was a pretty easy win for him last time," said Kimmel. "He was sitting on a really good race and I thought he'd be pretty tough to beat in the Excelsior."