Columbus, MN – The Sunday night (June 21) harness racing program at Running Aces featured two elimination divisions to the 2026 Ron Banks Memorial FFA distaff pace, each going for $17,500 as well as the weekly $16,000 Open Handicap trot.
K T Part E (Cattlewash) delivered a big performance in the first elimination division as driver Brady Jenson floated away in fifth position early before making a big mid-race move to the front of the field and then drawing away from her rivals in the homesteretch by 3-3/4 lengths in a career best 1:51.3 mile while Fox Valley Groupie (Dean Magee) was clearly second best and JK My Girl (Casey Leonard) picked up the pieces late for third over Teelatini (Luke Plano).
K T Part E ($3.80) is a 4-year-old and is also owned and trained by Jenson. She now shows 5 wins from nine starts this season and 15 career wins.
Premier Desirey (Real Desire) rolled to her fourth straight win to capture the second elimination heat in 1:51.4 with a confident steer from driver Rick Magee who wasted no time in getting her to the front of the affair and the pair was never in doubt . Heart Song (Lemoyne Svendsen) rallied past pocket-sitter Wish I Had Thyme (Plano) late to pick up the place spot and Miss Fancy Nancy (Jenson) was home in fourth.
The winning margin for Premier Desirey ($2.60) was 2-1/2 lengths. The talented 9-year-old now shows 4 wins in eight outings this year and 20 career wins for owner/trainer Harold Herrera.
Escaper (Muscle Hill) surged in the final strides for driver Rick Magee for the second straight week to capture victory in the Open Handicap trot for his third win of the season, getting up by a neck over Peanutbutterfalcon (Scott Cisco) and Fifty Rivers (Leonard) in a three-way photo finish in 1:54.4 to equal his career best time once again.
Escaper ($7.60) is a 5-year-old and is owned by Roti-Boy4Eva Racing Stable and trained by Harold Herrera. He now shows 22 career wins with earnings of $269,416.
Rick Magee led the program with four driving wins while Brady Jenson and Luke Plano posted driving doubles and Jenson and Herrera each scored training doubles.
Live racing returns to Running Aces on Tuesday night (June 23) for a nine-race program, which will feature a carryover of $19,684.51 in the 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot wager that will get underway in race five. First post is set for 7 p.m. (CDT).