Columbus, MN — The Tuesday afternoon (July 7) harness racing program at Running Aces featured two $10,000 Open pacing events with nine talented mares lining up for the distaff open and nine talented male pacers lining up for the horses and geldings open.

Amasa Arion surged past them all to register a 1-3/4 length victory in 1:53.2. Dee Leftwich photo.

In the mares feature, Always Be Lucy (Nick Roland) blasted from the gate but faced an immediate challenge from McPansy (Don Harmon) who took the front and registered the first quarter in :27.4 before yielding the lead back to Always Be Lucy.

Last Flight In N (Pat Berry) launched an attack at the three-eighths mark and swept to the front while clearing before the half in :56. Last Flight In N remained on the lead past three-quarters in 1:24.3 and kept the front until the head of the lane as there were several rivals swarming in.

Pull The Shade (Brady Jenson) and Always Be Lucy were attacking into the stretch but Amasa Arion (Rick Magee) tipped widest of all for the drive and was loaded with pace, surging past them all to register a 1-3/4 length victory in 1:53.2 over Always Be Lucy, Pull The Shade and McPansy.

Amasa Arion ($6.20) is a 5-year-old daughter of Western Thorn and is owned by Kristy Casagranda and trained by Rick Magee. The win was the second in just three starts on the year for Amasa Arion and pushed her career bankroll to $93,449.

When the gate released the field in the horses and geldings feature it was Stuckey Dote (Darrell Wright) who had the most early speed while Rockin Speed (Jared Seekman) left from the far outside and was parked through the :27 opening quarter before making the front near the three-eighths-mile juncture. Royale Big Guy (Lemoyne Svendsen) was the next to try for the front and hounded the leader through the middle and late stages (:56.1, 1:23.4).

As they turned for home Royale Big Guy drew on even terms with Rockin Speed but horses were closing from both sides and Heza Real Diamond (Nick Roland) tipped wide with a strong brush to take a deep stretch lead while Stuckey Dote and Top Notch (Rick Magee) both closed fast on the inside.

Heza Real Diamond paced strong to the wire and checked in a three-quarter length winner over Stuckey Dote, Top Notch and Rockin Speed in 1:51.4.

Heza Real Diamond ($4.60) has now won seven of 11 starts in 2020 and has recorded 16 career victories. Tuesday’s score edged the 4-year-old gelded son of Allamerican Native over the century mark in lifetime earnings to $100,150. The winner is owned by Orlando Nevarez and trained by Edwin Quevedo.

Multiple race winners included drivers Lemoyne ‘Mooney’ Svendsen, Dean Magee, and Pat Berry, each with two wins. Gerald Longo picked up two training wins on the Tuesday card.

Live racing returns to Running Aces on Saturday (July 11) at 1 p.m. (CDT) and will feature a carryover in the 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot wager of $6,135.44.