Columbus, MN – The Sunday night (August 2) harness racing program at Running Aces featured the 2026 Dan Patch FFA final, which offered a compact but very talented field of five pacers going into battle for the $50,000 event in a race that provided fans with a spectacular contest from start to finish.
Cash Money Twenty, who won the Dan Patch Preview on July 19, was sent off as the overwhelming 2-5 favorite over 2024 champion and track record holder Muskateer Hanover who was 2-1 at the bell and Alta Revelry N who was given a 6-1 chance by the public. The longshots in the field included Hazardos at 16-1 and War Machine at 40-1.
When the wings of the gate folded away, Alta Revelry N and Luke Plano surged strongest from the pole position to get the first call but faced an immediate challenge from 2024 winner and track record holder Muskateer Hanover and Brady Jenson, who clearly wanted control of the fractions and settled on top well before the :26.4 opening quarter mark.
Driver Casey Leonard floated Cash Money Twenty away in third position while Hazardos (Rick Magee) and War Machine (Mooney Svendsen) rolled away in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Jenson and Muskateer Hanover kept the pedal to the metal during a strong middle half with splits of :54.1 and 1:21.4, which held his rivals firmly in chase mode down the backstretch.
The field began to tighten up as they rounded the far turn and Plano pulled the trigger on Alta Revelry N as they approached the top of the lane, with Muskateer Hanover shaking free and tipping three-wide for the drive.
Alta Revelry N forged to the lead between horses, but Cash Money Twenty was looming outside and clearly loaded with pace.
The top three were firing on all cylinders during the final sixteenth of a mile but Cash Money Twenty was clearly the best and drew clear in the final strides for a 1-3/4 length tally in a career best 1:49.1 to tie the all-age track record.
Alta Revelry was home second and was two lengths clear of Muskateer Hanover.
Cash Money Twenty is a 4-year-old son of Stevensville and now boasts 27 wins from 35 starts with earnings of $403,750 to date for owners Heart & Soul Racing and trainer Brett Ballinger. He was bred by CJ Christianson.
The win mutuel was $2.80.
SV Shining Star (by Be The Best) was a 1:58.1 winner over Anitra’s Dance and Model Good Looks for four straight (paying $2.10) and Bang Bang Boogie (by New Jersey Viking) was a 1:57.3 winner ($2.60) over My Little Maverick and Wisco Money Heist as both continued their dominance in the $17,500 Minnesota-sired sophomore trot events for trainer Justin Anfinson and driver Rick Magee.
Drivers Rick Magee and Nick Roland both scored triples on the card while Casey Leonard and Brady Jenson each drove two winners and Anfinson, Roland and Jenson all scored two training wins.
Live racing returns to Running Aces on Tuesday night (Aug. 4) for a nine-race program that will get underway at 7 p.m. (CDT).