Running Aces will close out the 2026 racing season this weekend with two big nights of action, including Minnesota-sired consolation night on Friday (Sept. 18) and the Minnesota Night of Champions program on Saturday (Sept. 19) with post time on both nights set for 6 p.m. (CDT).
Author: by Darin Gagne, for Running Aces Casino, Hotel and Racetrack
Aestas, Love Somebody and She’s A Home Run capture Keystone Classic victories
Hollywood Casino at The Meadows featured 2-year-old fillies Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 16), with two $40,050 Keystone Classics for pacers and a single $58,150 Keystone Classic for trotters.
Yonkers’ Thursday late Pick-4 $5,825 carryover creates $20K guaranteed pool
MGM Yonkers Raceway remained carryover central this week as the late Pick-4 went unsolved on Wednesday night (Sept. 16), meaning there will be $5,825.55 in the pot with a $20,000 guaranteed pool when that sequence occurs on Thursday (Sept. 17).
IRB denies Hawthorne 2027 dates request
The Illinois Racing Board at its Sept. 16 meeting ruled that the requests for 2027 racing licenses for Hawthorne Race Course and Suburban Downs, its related Standardbred racing entity, were deficient and not in compliance with the Illinois Racing Act.
Millionaire war horses and adoptable Standardbreds headline entries for the National Standardbred Horse Show presented by Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program
Preliminary entries are in for the 32nd annual National Standardbred Horse Show Presented by Purple Haze Standardbred Adoption Program, and the list will look familiar to anyone who follows harness racing. A total of 124 horses have made 1,400 class entries for the three-day show, set for Sept. 18-20 at the Horse Park of New Jersey, with several former millionaires on the track among them.
Countdown to liftoff for Redland Rocket Man
Until recently, Redland Rocket Man has flown slightly under the radar in the 3-year-old male pacing division. On Saturday (Sept. 12) night at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the John Pentland trainee guaranteed that he won’t be overlooked again, despite never having been the betting favorite in 12 starts this year.
PD The Big Easy delivers the goods in Aces Tuesday feature
PD The Big Easy delivered as the heavy favorite in the featured event on Tuesday night (Sept. 15) at Running Aces to record his 35th career win.
Yonkers Pick-5 has $25K guaranteed pool on Wednesday
No winning tickets were held in Tuesday night’s (Sept. 15) Pick-5 wager at MGM Yonkers Raceway, triggering a $7,096.34 carryover and a $25,000 guaranteed pool in the sequence on Wednesday night (Sept. 16).
Wehadababyetzaboy continues success at Harrington
Evm Racing’s Wehadababyetzaboy ($2.60, Brandon Givens) continued his stellar 2026 with a 1:51.1 victory in the $22,500 Open Pace at Harrington Raceway.
Gratz (PA) 2 YOs rained out; 3YOs post slew of upsets
During the first 50 days of the 2026 Pennsylvania Fair Circuit schedule, only two days were wiped out due to inclement weather. Unfortunately, over the last 24, three cards have been lost – the 2-year-olds entered to race at the Gratz (PA) Fair were washed out on Sunday (Sept. 13), although their sophomore stablemates did get to go on Monday (Sept. 14) after being the victims of the last two cancellations.