ROUNDUP : Buy The Firm Wins Top Flight at Aqueduct

Buy The Firm raced with the leaders to the stretch, then pulled away for a seven-length victory in Aqueduct’s $226,800 Top Flight Handicap for fillies and mares 3-years old and older Sunday.

The victory was the second in five starts this year for Buy The Firm, ridden by Julie Krone, who covered 1 1/8 miles on a sloppy track in 1:52 1/5.

Colonial Waters, the favorite in the five-horse field, weakened in the late stages, but finished second, a neck ahead of Sharp Dance.

Overturned and Bunka Bunka completed the order of finish.

Buy the Firm earned $136,080 and returned $6.80, $3.60, and $2.60. Colonial Waters paid $3.00 and $2.10, and Sharp Dance $3.20.

River Fit, under Mark Guidry, narrowly won the $106,500 Thomas D. Nash Memorial Handicap at Sportsman’s Park.

After coming from behind to take a two-length lead in midstretch, River Fit hung on to defeat Native Vintage by three-quarters of a length.

Fellow Traveler was a neck farther back in third in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds that drew six starters.

Lanyon’s Star, the 8-5 favorite, finished a poor fourth before 7,671.

River Fit, who was outrun after showing early speed in the recent Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park in Kentucky, paid $7.40, $4.40 and $3, and was timed in 1:46 1/5 under 116 pounds.

Native Vintage returned $4.20 and $3. Fellow Traveler paid $3.40.

The winner, owned by Bobby L. Jones of Birmingham, Ala., earned $63,900 for his first stakes victory. His next start will be in the $500,000 Illinois Derby at Sportsman’s on closing day, May 11.