Columbus, MN – The weekly $12,000 Open Trot feature on Sunday night (June 20) at Running Aces saw a field of five talented and well matched rivals line up behind the starting gate with All American N,  the 3-5 favorite from post five, taking top billing after back-to-back wins in the event in the last two weeks.

Pridecrest with driver Mooney Svendsen surged late to win the $12,000 Open Hcp Trot in 1:56.2 Sunday night at Running Aces. Dee Leftwich Photo.

Luke Plano went right to the lead with All American N and enjoyed a comfortable lead in the early stages, while Pridecrest (Mooney Svendsen) enjoyed the pocket position through the moderate (:29.1 and :58.4) early fractions.

Near the half mile juncture, driver Brady Jenson launched Susie’s Sister to the outside from last and drew alongside the leader to apply pressure as they raced down the backside and headed for the far turn, while Bordogna (Rick Magee) followed the cover as and the field was closely bunched up as they rounded for home.

All American N still had the lead as they straightened for the wire, but Pridecrest had saved ground throughout and was loaded with trot from the pocket. Svendsen guided Pridecrest into the passing lane and they rallied past the front-runner to score a three- quarter length tally in 1:56.2 with All American N holding a game second and Bordogna picking up third.

The victory was the third of the season and 43rd lifetime win for Pridecrest, who has now won $366,550. The winning owner is Chris Schick and the winning trainer is Kathie Plested-Wiseman.

The Minnesota-Sired sophomore trotting events went for $12,500 each, with six starters in the filly division headlined by co-favorites It’s So Fluffy (Luke Plano) and Coatofmanycolors (Nick Roland), both sent off at even money on the board.

Roland wasted no time in getting Coatofmanycolors into high gear from the outside post and they easily made the front of the field, and led most of the way around the track with The Royal Queen (Rick Magee) enjoying the pocket trip. It’s So Fluffy unleashed a furious attack near the three-quarter mile juncture to take a short-lived lead as Coatofmanycolors ($4.20) responded gamely to quickly re-establish control and it was never in doubt after that. The Tymal Templar filly trotted a sharp final quarter of :28.3 to register a 1-3/4 length score in 2:01.2 for two wins in a row. The winner is owned and trained by Jenni King.

The colts and geldings division drew a field of seven and was another impressive gate-to-wire display by Rush To The Bank (Nick Roland, $2.20), who extended his current win streak to 11, and is now a perfect four-for-four this season. Ice Titan (Mooney Svendsen) sat in the pocket and was second best for the fourth time in a row, and Oh Danny Boy (Dean Magee) was home third in the 2:00.2 mile.

Rush To The Bank is a gelded son of Banker Volo, owned by Jeralene Roland and Vickie Rush, and trained by Dan Roland.

The $9,300 Open II Trot went to Hearduwhispermynam (Rick Magee, $5.80) who picked up his first win of the season in 1:57.4 with a strong rally from the back of the pack to sweep by the field through the lane and draw away late by 1-1/4 lengths over front-runner Bringthegold (Nick Roland) with French Eclipse (Brady Jenson) getting home in third. The winner is owned and trained by Jenni King who had two winners on the Sunday card.

Nick Roland led the Sunday card with three driving wins, while Jenni King was the only trainer to score a double.

Live racing returns to Running Aces on Tuesday night (June 22) with first post at 6:05 p.m. (CDT) and will feature a carryover in the 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot wager of $20,599.43, and a guaranteed pool of $5,000 in the 50-cent Late Pick-4 wager.