Columbus, MN — The Saturday evening (June 15) program at Running Aces featured the inaugural Trout Air Trot with a $20,000 purse and a talented field of seven that included three current track record holders, who were the top three horses in the wagering.

Banker Volo had plenty left in the tank and held firm to the wire. Dee Leftwich photo.

Banker Volo (Nick Roland) was sent off as the slight favorite at just under 3-1, while Pridecrest (Mooney Svendsen) was the public’s second choice at 7-2 and Silverlode (Steve Wiseman) was also well supported at 4-1.

Banker Volo left from post seven displaying his usual early speed and trotted right to the front, while Silverlode also flashed speed from post six and found the pocket. French Eclipse (Rick Magee) was also fast away and landed in third. The early fractions were solid at :27.3 and :56.2 and Bringoverthemoney (Tim Maier) was first to launch a challenge with a first-over bid just past the half. He got to third within two lengths of the leader on the far turn, but Banker Volo turned in a strong third panel of :28.3 to stop the outer flow from getting too close.

As the stellar field rounded for home, Banker Volo was still trotting strong and he had nearly two lengths on his rivals. Silverlode had the best trip and angled from the pocket, with Winning Lyric (Williams Hernandez) tipping from second-over and closing late, but Banker Volo had plenty left in the tank and held firm to the wire, posting a solid one length score in 1:54.4 for his fourth straight victory at Running Aces.

This was yet another high profile win for Banker Volo ($7.80) that brings his career win tally to 40 and pads his career bankroll to $454,353. The always impressive 10-year-old stallion by Yankee Glide is owned by Lucas Roland and trained by Jenni King. Silverlode held the second spot, while Winning Lyric checked in third.

Perfect night at Running Aces for trainer George Reider

Trainer George Reider had a perfect night at Running Aces on Saturday.

Reider sent out five horses, with two of them carded together in one race. The night’s results charts show four wins and one second for the Reider brigade. Four races, four wins and a second. He could not possibly do better than that without a dead heat. His horses finished one-two in race three, separated by just a length.

The amazing night started out in race one, when Steve Wiseman piloted Reider’s 5-year-old Hot Pans gelding pacer Zachariahs Honor ($9.20) to a half-length victory for his seventh win of the year.

Next, in race three, Reider sent out the winner Cruising For You ($9.20, Mooney Svendsen) and the runner-up He Grins Again (Steve Wiseman).

Dontcloseyoureyes ($31.00, Gerald Longo) was the next Reider winner, in race five, scoring her first win of the season and upsetting the field at 14-1.

Finally, Reider sent out Walker Meister in race six while the public had finally jumped on the Reider bandwagon, sending him off as the 8-5 favorite. Walker Meister responded by turning in a dazzling performance, sweeping the field around the far turn and pulling away to a 5-1/2 length romp for his fourth win of the year and completing a perfect night of racing for George Reider.

Cruising For You is owned by Juan Pacheco, all of the others mentioned are owned by Reider.

Reider is a Running Aces mainstay every summer and he is a well respected horseman. The four wins on Saturday bring him into the current list of top five trainers by wins in 2019.

Drivers Gerald Longo and Nick Roland each posted driving doubles on the card.

The 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot now stands at $7,826.37 heading into a big 11-race Father’s Day card on Sunday (June 16) with a first post of 6 p.m. (CDT).