Three-way battle for leading driver title

Columbus, MN – Driver Luke Plano posted a grand slam on the Thursday (June 23) harness racing program at Running Aces to surge to the lead in a close leading driver battle.

The night’s four wins pushed his Aces season total to 30, while Nick Roland had a pair of wins and now shows a tally of 29 and Dean Magee also added two wins on the night and sits in third position with 27.

Plano scored victories in two of the featured races on the card, including a sharp gate-to-wire tally with Anotherblazinwoman (Wind Me Up) in the $16,500 Minnesota-sired sophomore filly pace in 1:54.4 for trainer Justin Anfinson.

Plano sent his filly right to the front from post one and always looked like the winner. They checked in two lengths ahead of stablemates Park With Me Nancy (Roland) and Give Me This Dance (Dean Magee).

The top three finishers are all daughters of Wind Me Up and are all owned by Alan and Cheryl Sandbulte. The winner returned $18.40.

ANOTHERBLAZINWOMAN REPLAY

Plano also captured the $16,500 sophomore boys pace with Curvsreasyondaeyes (Easy Again, $9.80) in a career best 1:54.4 and two in a row for the son of Easy Again.

They left quickly from post six to take the early lead, then yielded for the pocket and waited for the stretch drive. As Hankscoltfortyfive and race favorite Lovin’ On You rallied from the back of the pack, Plano steered Curvsreasyondaeyes into the passing lane and they drew away late to post a 1-3/4 length tally over the aforementioned pair.

The winner is owned by breeder Kati Sokolowski and is trained by Maria Alvarez.

CURVSREASYONDAEYES REPLAY

The $16,500 Mares Open Handicap pace went to Hottieonthehorizon (Vertical Horizon) and driver Nick Roland. They left alertly from post two and had an early lead before letting Avaya Hanover (Mooney Svendsen) take control just past the quarter while Tenthousand Angels (Plano) sat third.

Those three dominated the affair and in the lane Hottieonthehorizon ($8.80) was loaded with pace from the pocket and shook free to post a 1-3/4 length score in 1:53.1 while Tenthousand Angels out-kicked Avaya Hanover for second money.

The winner is a 6-year-old mare, owned and trained by Rick Lancaster and also owned by Leslie Godlien.

HOTTIEONTHEHORIZON REPLAY

The program also offered two $13,000 divisions of the Mares Open II pace, with Richard Morita and David Yamada’s Delightfully Wild (Bettor’s Delight, Dean Magee, $22.00) picking up the first split in 1:54.2 for her 46th career win, and Brady Jenson taking the other split with his own mare Shirley Skip Shady (Sneaky B Skipalong, $9.20) in 1:55.1 for her 10th career tally.

Live Racing returns to Running Aces on Sunday (June 26) for our ‘Whatever It Takes Race Night’ which features the $35,000 Steve Wiseman Memorial Trot Final and baseball cap giveaway, Pepsi Family Night, and also benefits the Colon Cancer Coalition. Post time for the first race is 7 p.m. (CDT).

For complete race results, click here.

by Darin Gagne‘, for Running Aces