Davey Day Trader and driver Shawn Gray used a big move down the long Buffalo Raceway homestretch on Saturday, July 11 to spring the upset victory over Lip Reader A in the afternoon's co-featured $20,704 Open Pace. 

After two straight wins in front-stepping style from the rail, the pylon sitting Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) was heavily favoured for a repeat effort. It all started out perfectly for him as he raced on the front end through fractions of :29, :57.3 and 1:26.2.

But things were about to change heading around the final turn. Davey Day Trader was able to follow the live cover from I Aint No Mack (Kevin Cummings) and swing three-wide down the stretch. While Lip Reader A looked strong, Davey Day Trader had just too much momentum and used a :27.3 final panel to get the job done and collect the 1:54.2 victory by a neck in a 13-1 upset. Lip Reader A was a heart-breaking second while Woodmere Rollnpop (David McNeight III) took the show spot.

Davey Day Trader, a six-year-old Huntsville-Gigi Deo gelding, is trained by David McNeight Jr. and owned by James Costa of Clarence Center, New York and Peter Kibler of West Seneca, New York. The win was the sixth in 18 on-track appearances this year for Davey Day Trader, pushing his seasonal earnings to $65,261 and lifetime bankroll over the $300,000 mark.

Davey Day Trader returned $28.78 to his backers for the upset win.

The co-featured $20,704 Open Trot wasn't nearly as dramatic as El Toro Loco, after three consecutive on-the-board finishes, finally completed the task at hand with a front-stepping half-length decision over Crazy Ritz in 1:57.4 for driver Kevin Cummings.

Getting involved in a three-wide battle for the lead with favoured Crazy Ritz (James McNeight Jr.) and Starlitcresentroll (Wade Tomaszewski), El Toro Loco managed to gain control and put up splits of :28.2, :59.1 and 1:29. In the drive to the wire, El Toro Loco managed to keep his grip on the lead as Crazy Ritz battled but came up a half-length short. Starlitcresentroll managed to keep a hold of third place.

Trained by Samuel Smith and owned by Michael Torcello of Hamburg, New York, El Toro Loco picked up his fourth victory in 14 starts on the season. The seven-year-old Walner-Southwind Cabaret gelding jacked his seasonal earnings to $68,965 while his lifetime bankroll topped $440,000.

Sent postward as the second wagering choice, El Toro Loco paid $5.40 to win.

Gray completed the afternoon with a triple while Cummings and Monti had two wins each.

The final three live racing days for the 2026 season at Buffalo Raceway begins on Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., with a 13-race card scheduled. The New York Sire Stakes will make its final stop of the campaign at the Hamburg half-mile oval as the two-year-old filly trotters collide in a pair of races with approximate purses of $55,000 USD each. The program will open with two $20,000 USD events in the Excelsior Series for the freshman female sidewinders.

(With files from Buffalo Raceway; photo of Davey Day Trader winning on July 11)