Gordon Waterstone

Lexington, KY — Nick Roland, the leading driver and trainer at Running Aces in Minnesota, is hoping Alilthundadownunda makes some noise on Saturday night (Aug. 14) when the 3-year-old gelding pacer goes to post in the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial Invitational at MGM Northfield Park.

“He’s a homebred and it’s exciting to get invited to a race like that,” said the 39-year-old Roland, who trains a stable of 28 at Running Aces in partnership with his girlfriend, Jessica Johnson, who also co-owns Alilthundadownunda and is the listed trainer in the Northfield Park program for the Milstein. “Hopefully he gets a piece of it.”

Alilthundadownunda couldn’t be coming into the Milstein in better form as he brings with him to Ohio an eight-race winning streak, all at Running Aces. Dee Leftwich photo.

Alilthundadownunda couldn’t be coming into the Milstein in better form as he brings with him to Ohio an eight-race winning streak, all at Running Aces. If not for an ill-timed break on an off track in late May that resulted in a second-place finish, Alilthundadownunda would be riding an 11-race skein.

“The track was sloppy and it was only the second time he had raced at Running Aces, but I believe he would have won that night,” said Roland.

The 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Milstein is Charlie May, the 2020 2-year-old Colt Pacer of the Year in Ohio who was first across the wire in the $700,000 Meadowlands Pace on July 17 at The Meadowlands but was disqualified by the track judges for causing interference at the top of the stretch. Brett Miller will drive Charlie May from post seven. Since the Meadowlands Pace, Charlie May has posted back-to-back victories in Ohio-restricted events, a Sires Stakes race at Northfield and a State Fair race at Eldorado Scioto Downs.

The 3-1 second choice from post two is the Joe Bongiorno-driven Water Sports Teen, who finished third in the $375,000 Delvin Miller Adios last time out on July 31 at The Meadows.

As for Alilthundadownunda, with the sophomore stepping up in class after dominating his division at Running Aces, he is listed at odds of 20-1.

Although Roland has 1,969 career driving wins and $8.3 million in purse earnings, he is turning the lines over to Chris Page, one of Ohio’s leading drivers.

“I was thinking about driving but initially I thought with all our horses here (at Running Aces) Jess and I really both can’t take off and be gone,” said Roland. “It would be a neat story, but I’d rather have somebody that drives there all the time. I’d rather have somebody who could get us the most money.”

Roland said post four works perfect for Alilthundadownunda, who shows versatility on his racelines as his current win streak shows gate-to-wire efforts, two-hole trips, and come-from-behind rallies.

“He drew well; I don’t think he could have drawn much better,” he said. “It’s tough for him getting out of the rail (post position). He’s really not a super quick, handy horse. Against horses like that I hope he gets to the rail towards the front and gets around there and gets a check. I’ll be ecstatic.

“He can race any way,” added Roland, who also has 830 career training wins with $3.9 million in purse earnings. “He really likes to have a target to track down, he prefers that. But it’s tough when you’re the favorite to find somebody you’re willing to follow.”

Johnson, in partnership with Ken Stauffer as Set The Pace Racing, purchased Alilthundadownunda’s dam, the $117,404-winning Wild About Eagle, following her retirement from racing after the 2015 season. Wild About Eagle was then bred to the New Zealand sire Malak Uswaad N, who died shortly after the mating, according to Roland. Last year at two, Alilthundadownunda won four of 13 starts with $34,039 in earnings. His last two starts — both victories — came at the fair in Cannon Falls, Minn.

“We raced him twice at the end of last year at the county fair and he won both times there pretty handily so I think he’ll get around that half (at Northfield Park) fine,” said Roland.

During the off season at Running Aces, Roland ships some horses to race at Cal Expo in California, and that is where Alilthundadownunda got his sophomore campaign underway last March. It was a slow start, however, as it took until his fifth and final race out west that he found the winner’s circle. Still, Roland was optimistic that Alilthundadownunda would continue that form at Running Aces, and the pacer has justified his trainer’s belief as he overall has now won 10 of 15 starts this year — including a pair of career-best 1:53.4 efforts — with $66,285 in earnings. Alilthundadownunda’s latest victory in a Minnesota-restricted 3-year-old open on Aug. 5, sent the pacer’s career earnings past the $100,000 mark for Set The Pace Racing.

“He grew up a little bit over the winter,” said Roland. “He’s kind of neurotic and kind of goofy. It was a year of maturing, mostly in his head, and that helped a lot.”

Roland is a cousin of Iowa-based trainer Curtis Carey, who has raced horses in the past at Northfield Park. When Northfield Park’s director of racing Dave Bianconi asked Carey about possible Midwest starters in the Milstein, he offered up Alilthundadownunda.

“Dave (Bianconi) was looking for a horse like him from the Midwest and Curtis suggested this one,” said Roland.

While at first Roland was not going to make the trip to Ohio, he had a change of heart and will now fly to Cleveland on Friday. Roland said he and Johnson will make the return ship back to Running Aces together with Alilthundadownunda, who has a full plate still left on his calendar in the North Star State as well as California.

“We’ve got the Minnesota-sired races here just about every week until the middle of September, and then there is a final,” said Roland. “And he is eligible to the Diamond Alliance Stakes in California, four $20,000 races and then a $50,000 final. We’ll be aiming for that.”

The race is named in honor of Carl Milstein, who owned Northfield Park from 1984 until his death in 1999. Brock Milstein and the Milstein family operated Northfield Park until July 2018, when MGM Growth Properties purchased the racetrack.

The 16-race program includes the $100,000 Myron Charna President’s Pace, a race for older Ohio-sired pacers (by invitation only), the $100,000 Tom Aldrich President’s Trot, a race for older Ohio-sired trotters (by invitation only), three $40,000 divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings, two $50,000 divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes for 3-year-old trotting colt and geldings, two $50,000 divisions of Ohio Sires Stakes for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings, as well as three $20,000 Open events. Post time is 6 p.m. Entries for the card can be viewed here.