Hamburg, NY — Shine All The Way ($7.68) was the ‘shining star’ at Buffalo Raceway on Saturday afternoon (June 27) as he thumped the field by 3 lengths in the $14,700 Open Trot. Besides posting the impressive victory, he tied the Buffalo Raceway track record for older trotting geldings of 1:56, set in 2018 by Fox Valley Veto and equaled in 2025 by Valentine Express.
It was also a stellar day for driver David McNeight III as he posted five wins on the program, including steering Shine All The Way to the record-tying triumph.
Shine All The Way had his things his own way from the outset, firing off the gate early and taking command from post 2. After finishing second in two consecutive tries in the Open, things were about to change for the better for Shine All The Way.
Setting the fractions of :29, :59.1 and 1:27.2, Shine All The Way turned for home with a length lead and increased that advantage to 3 lengths at the wire as El Toro Loco (Kyle Cummings) and The Governor (Michael Whelan) had no answers and finished in second and third, respectively.
It was the fourth victory in 19 starts on the year for Shine All The Way (Dontyouforgetit-Heres Holly), whom Dakota Jackson trains for owner Jason Seymour. The decision increased his seasonal total to 444,814 and to $464,847 lifetime.
In the $14,700 Open Pace, Lip Reader A ($3.04) returned to the top rank and proved the step up in class wasn’t an issue as he took a neck win over Trente Deo in 1:53.1 over a fast track.
Lip Reader A (Drew Monti) used the inside post to secure the lead and cut the mile with splits of :27.2, :55.2 and 1:24.1.
Turning for the wire, Lip Reader A had a length lead, but Trente Deo (McNeight III) slowly cut into the margin, only to come up a neck short at the finish line. Captain Paradise (Shawn McDonough) was third.
Co-owned by Vogel & Wags Nags LLC and Team Rice Racing, Lip Reader A (Sportswriter-Strike Line) is conditioned by Maria Rice. The victory was the fifth in 15 attempts in 2026 and moved his bankroll to $49,530 on the campaign and to $388,157 lifetime.
Besides McNeight and his big effort on the card, Brett MacDonald had three victories and Drew Monti two. Jackson topped the trainers with a couple of wins.
Racing will resume on Wednesday afternoon (July 1) at 2:30 p.m. with a 12-race program scheduled. The New York Sire Stakes returns with 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters in action with an eight-pack to battle for $110,200. There is also a $20,000 Excelsior Series event for the freshmen male sidewinders.
For more information, including the latest news, upcoming promotions, entries, results and race replays, go to www.buffaloraceway.com.