If you owned a horse that won $2.6 million in prize money, surely you’d be satisfied, right? Spare a thought for Buffering’s owners who could only watch in despair as their superstar sprinter was runner-up for the sixth time at Group 1 level without a win.
Buffering jumped as the $3.50 favourite in Friday’s Group 1 Moir Stakes in what looked to be one of his easier assignments.
The race played out perfectly for him with an easy lead and rain falling late in the night to give him ideal conditions.
But once again, an outsider stood up and Buffering was left as the bridesmaid role as he watched Samaready win her first Group 1.
It was the sixth time he has run second at Group 1 level and 14th time he has finished in the first four at Group 1 level.
His record is phenomenal considering 18 of his 35 career starts have been at Group 1 level.
Further painstaking for the owners, Friday night was the first time the Moir Stakes was run with Group 1 billing after Buffering won last year’s edition when it was a Group 2.
Now a six year old, the Mossman gelding is not getting any younger or faster and it would be a shame for racing if he were to finish his career without a Group 1 victory to his name.
The Moir Stakes looked to be the softest kill for him because he runs well fresh and the field on Friday night boasted just four Group 1s between them. It was considerably less than fields he faced when Black Caviar and Hay List were at their best.
Buffering has been stuck in horseracing purgatory for the past two years now and there is little to suggest he will be escaping soon. Due to his record at Group 1 level, he has a rating of 112 which is very high.
Under handicap conditions he will have to carry top weight and at weight-for-age level, he is continually getting beaten by younger sprinters.
In comparison, Shamexpress is a Group 1 winning sprinter but holds a rating of just 107 while another Group 1 winning sprinter, Moment Of Change has a 108 rating.
So what’s next for trainer Robert Heathcote and his star sprinter?
Buffering pulled up lame after the Moir which raises doubt about his chances in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes or Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic during the spring carnival.
Samaready looks likely to push on to the Manikato and after winning the Moir by four lengths and it looks unlikely Buffering will be able to turn the tables.
Hong Kong superstar sprinter Lucky Nine will also line-up in the Manikato so Buffering’s task will be no easier.
The Patinack is the toughest sprint race of the spring and Buffering has never won at Flemington.
But all is not lost because there are still opportunities for the six year old to win a Group 1. It just won’t be in spring.
The easiest option for Heathcote and connections is to spell Buffering immediately.
If he is freshened up, the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes over in Perth will be produce a weaker field compared to what he’ll face in spring.
Run over 1200m under weight-for-age conditions, Buffering would be well suited because the West Australian sprinting stocks are quite low at the moment.
Additionally, Buffering has an excellent record on firm ground, missing a place just twice out of the 12 times he has run on Good ground, which he would find in Perth.
If that doesn’t work out, the romance of winning one of Brisbane’s three Group 1 winter sprint races will be tempting, being on his home soil and all.
It was supposed to pan out perfectly last winter but he struck a heavy track in the BTC Cup and was beaten by a wet weather specialist.
He then went to the Doomben 10,000 and was beaten by a star three year old before gallantly carrying top-weight in the Stradbroke Handicap to run second for second consecutive year.
Forget Queensland. There are too many good sprinters continuing on from the Sydney autumn carnival. Instead, it’s time to give Adelaide a crack.
After Perth, he should be spelled in preparation for the Group 1 Sangster Stakes at Morphettville.
It is a race which has not been won by average horses over the past few years and it is as close to a soft kill as Buffering will ever get. Run on the final weekend of April, it still leaves a Queensland winter campaign open.
It is often said that to be the best, you have to beat the best. In Buffering’s case though, his consistency over the years has been remarkable and there is no horse going around that is more deserving of a Group 1 title.
To have won over $2.6million in prize money without a Group 1 is absurd.
The next closest horse without a Group 1 is Karuta Queen with $1.85million but most of that came from the Magic Millions Classic which is not a Pattern Committee sanctioned race.
Others still in training without Group 1 success are Driefontein with $1.68million, Snitzerland with $1.54million, Maluckyday with $1.41million and Fiorente with $1.32million.
Racing purists know how good Buffering is but it would be disappointing for racing if a horse of his quality retires without a Group 1 to his name.
Although a gelding and capable of racing for another three seasons, he has been quite heavily raced throughout his career and this may be his final season as a genuine Group 1 horse.
Very rarely will a horse win its first Group 1 when they are seven years old so targeting the Winterbottom Stakes and Sangster Stakes may seem like a hollow victory against subpar opposition but for racing’s stake – get him a Group 1!
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