by Darin Gagne, for Running Aces

Columbus, MN — The Sunday night card at Running Aces featured a milestone of sorts for one of the sport’s toughest campaigners.

Dee Leftwich photo

Franky Provolone was a 1:58.2 winner on Sunday.

In the featured trot on the program, 11-year-old gelding Franky Provolone (Armbro Scribe–Simply Royal) added another notch to his well-traveled racing belt. The veteran campaigner picked up his 53rd lifetime win and secured his 180th career top-three finish in 276 trips to the starting gate. He did so in front-running fashion with Mooney Svendsen in the sulky, holding off all challengers in 1:58.2.

Franky Provolone has been a regular campaigner here at Running Aces for several years and has been a fan favorite both here and at Cal-Expo in California, where he races during the fall and winter months and where he is close to his owner Robin Clements, who makes her home base in Wilton. Franky Provolone is currently trained by Denise Maier. Sunday night he was sent off as the 9-5 favorite and returned $5.60 to his faithful pari-mutuel players.

Also on the Sunday program, 3-year-old trotters were featured for the $8,800 sophomore open and Scramble Camp ($3.20) was extremely sharp in that contest, with a gate-to-wire victory from the outside six post in a lifetime best mile of 1:59. Scramble Camp is by Weight Lifter and out of the Conway Hall mare Hall Of Beauty. The sharp-looking gelding has now won eight of 16 lifetime races and $27,184 for owners Daniel and Jeralene Roland and Robert K. Davis. Mooney Svendsen also piloted this winner for trainer Daniel Roland.

Steve Wiseman led all drivers on Sunday with a hat trick, while Svendsen picked up a double. Those two drivers are now tied with five wins each through the first two nights of racing.

The 20-cent Jackpot Pick-5 was hit and returned $1,099.80 to a single winner, while the $5,000 guaranteed late 50-cent Pick-4 returned a very healthy $3,850.00. The 50-cent Hi-5 wager has a carryover of $1,210.78 going into the next card of racing on Tuesday night (May 22), with first post at 7 p.m. (CDT).