El Toro Loco wired his rivals in the $18,750 Open Handicap Trot on Sunday, Aug. 16 at Batavia Downs to complete a training grand slam on the 14-race program for trainer Sam Smith.

Kevin Cummings sent El Toro Loco to the point early, and “The Crazy Bull” did the rest. With Valentine Express (Shawn Gray) drafting in the garden spot, El Toro Loco set middling fractions of :29.1, 1:00 and 1:29.1, yet still maintained a 1-3/4-length lead heading into turn four. The race through the lane came down to the top two, and Valentine Express was trotting sharply in his :28 final panel to make up the majority of the deficit. But he came up a head short at the line, with El Toro Loco hanging on to win in 1:57.2. Shine All The Way (David McNeight III) finished third.

El Toro Loco recorded his third win in his last six starts and his sixth this season in 19 for Smith and owner Mike Torcello. The seven-year-old son of Walner-Southwind Cabaret is 30-for-129 lifetime. He paid $3.28 to win.

Fox Valley Cayman (1:55.4, $3.78), Cash Back (1:57, $11) and Seventier (1:57.4, $3.02) were the other winners for Smith. He leads the Batavia trainers' standings with 16 wins this year.

There was also an $18,750 Open Handicap Pace two races later in which local top-class mainstay Lanjo Lee posted his 40th lifetime victory in 118 starts. 

Kyle Cummings also sent Lanjo Lee forward off the gate and opened up a two-length lead at the :28.2 quarter. The pacesetter then got to the half in :57.2, at which point Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) pulled first-over from third and joined the pocket-sitting Luck Is Up (Brett MacDonald) in pursuit of the leader. As the field approached three-quarters in 1:26, Lip Reader A moved into second but was still a length shy of Lanjo Lee. Lip Reader A continued to grind through the last turn, but when they reached the stretch, Lanjo Lee opened up a two-length gap and won in 1:54. Luck Is Up re-fired for place over Lip Reader A.

Lanjo Lee ($2.56) improved to six-for-21 this year. Tammy Cummings trains the seven-year-old So Surreal-My Drag Queen gelding for Gordon Swift.

Drivers Kevin Cummings and Shawn Gray posted three wins apiece during the proceedings on Sunday.  

Live racing will resume at Batavia on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The card features two divisions of NYSS for two-year-old pacing fillies, who will compete for $104,000 USD across two divisions.

(With files from Batavia Downs)