Running Aces all set for closing weekend

Columbus, MN – Running Aces will close out it’s 2024 live harness racing season with special cards this Friday night (Sep. 20) and Saturday night (Sep. 21) for the track’s Champions Weekend.

Friday’s program offers ten races and will feature five Minnesota-sired consolation events going for $15,000 each as well as a $15,500 Mares Open Handicap pace and a $20,000 Open Handicap trot with a special distance of a mile and a quarter.

The Open trot event (race 10) offers a big field of ten with Majestic J (Elson Miller) tabbed as the 3-1 morning line choice from post six and 2024 Wiseman Memorial winner All Champy (Mooney Svendsen) as the 7-2 second choice from post four.

Saturday night is the 2024 Minnesota Night of Champions program, which is made up of championship races in all twelve divisions of the Minnesota-sired program.

Each championship race on Saturday night goes for $65,000 for total purses of $780,000 on the night and the races are made up from the top money earners in each division.

Among the headliners who will contend on Saturday include 9-year-old gelding trotter Bringoverthemoney (Money Talks) who has won the aged male division championship race for a record four consecutive years and is the morning line favorite (9-5) to extend his streak to five years.

The son of Money Talks is the richest Minnesota-sired trotter to-date with earnings of $407,571 for owner Joshua Horvat and trainer/breeder Katie Horvat. Dean Magee will be in the sulky as they line up from post six in race five.

DP Freedoms Chrome is the 2-5 morning line favorite in the sophomore colt trotting division and comes into the championship race with back-to-back track record performances in his last two starts.

The son of For You Almostfree is undefeated at Running Aces in fifteen starts spanning his two seasons on the track. Overall he has won 21 of 22 career starts with earnings of $170.700.

James Gould is the regular pilot for DP Freedoms Chrome and they will start from post three in race one for owner Aimes Racing and trainer Elvin Zimmerman.

Baby Flash (Southwind Flash) is the heavy 4-5 favorite in the sophomore filly trot division and comes into the contest with three wins in her last four starts and six wins this season.

She will start from post six in race seven with Mooney Svendsen in the bike for owner/trainer Rick Huffman and additional owners Keith Wilson and Brenda Lovetinsky.

Two of the most highly anticipated divisions each year are the aged pacing divisions for horses and geldings and for mares. They are the final two races on the program and both appear to be fairly wide open.

SB Bodacious (Voracious Hanover), who won the aged male division last year is the 3-1 morning line favorite in race eleven and starts from post five for owner/driver Rick Magee and trainer Mikaela Delgiudice.

Give Me This Dance (Wind Me Up) has been named the 3-1 early line favorite in the mares division. She won this race last year and will be trying for her 30th career win.

Nick Roland will be in the bike on Give Me This Dance from post nine in race twelve for owners Alan and Cheryl Sandbulte and trainer Justin Anfinson.

There will be mandatory payouts in all pools on Saturday night at Running Aces, including the 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot which will start in race eight and the 50-cent late Pick-4 which will start in race nine. The 50-cent Hi-5 wager in race twelve is also subject to mandatory payout.

Post time for both Friday and Saturday is 6 p.m. (CDT).

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Darin Gagne, for Running Aces