The first starters for freshman sires Buffum and Bridgetown both became the stallions' first winners Aug. 9 at Delaware Park and Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, respectively.
In her debut, Buff's in Love, a Buffum daughter out of Who's in Love, by Not For Love, won in gate-to-wire fashion by 4 1/2 lengths at odds of 34-1 in a $22,000 maiden claimer at Delaware Park. The 2-year-old filly, who was up for a $40,000 tag but was not claimed, is owned and trained by John Worsley. She was bred in Maryland by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds.
Who's in Love is an unraced half sister to black-type stakes winner Who's in Town (Speightstown ) and stakes-placed winner Campaign Vows (Broken Vow ). Buff's in Love is the second foal and first starter for Who's in Love. The dam has a yearling by Munnings and was bred this year to Bandbox .
Buffum is a son of Bernardini out of multiple stakes winner Storm Beauty (Storm Cat). As a yearling, Buffum sold for $1.2 million at the 2009 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale to John Ferguson, who was Sheikh Mohammed's bloodstock agent at the time.
Buffum is a half brother to stakes winner Stormy West (Gone West) and graded-placed winner Renaissance Lady (A.P. Indy). As a racehorse, Buffum won four races from 11 starts, including the Bold Ruler Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park. He now stands at Northview Stallion Station in Maryland for a 2017 fee of $2,500.
Lover's Leap is the first starter for a limited line of first-crop foals by Bridgetown, who was euthanized in April 2014 following an accident at Questroyal North in New York. The promising sire had only eight foals.
Bred in New York by Danzel Brendemuehl and Patrick Morrell, Lover's Leap is raced by Mark Valentine and trained by Sal Iorio Jr. The colt was unplaced in his first start July 14 at Belmont Park before rolling to a 7 1/4-length win in a $26,000 maiden special weight at Finger Lakes. Video: Race 1 (MSW) at FL on 8/9/17
Kissin' Kris' winning daughter Commercial Kisser is the dam of Lover's Leap. The mare has produced four winners from seven starters to date, including stakes-placed Television Too (Pollard's Vision ). Commercial Kisser had a filly this year by New York sire Japan and was bred back to Majestic City .
Bridgetown was a Florida homebred for Eugene Melnyk. The son of Speightstown won seven stakes, including the Summer Stakes (G3T) at Woodbine at age 2, and the Woodford Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland at age 5. He retired with earnings of nearly $993,700.