Columbus, MN – Running Aces is set and ready for a big weekend of harness racing to close out its 2025 season.
Friday night (Sept. 19) offers a 10-race program that will be highlighted by three $25,000 Open Handicap events, including one for pacing mares, one for male pacers and one for trotters. The Open trot will be contested at a special distance of a mile and a quarter.
There will also be four $15,000 Minnesota-sired consolation races on Friday as well as a special retirement race for 14-year-old pacer Robbie Burns N (Live Or Die), who is a classy warhorse and just notched his 50th career win earlier this month. He will make his final career start on Friday and will be going to a new forever home with a local veterinarian that works on the Running Aces backstretch.
He’zzz A Wise Sky (Yankee Skyscraper) is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Open Handicap pace, and he is another warhorse who just recently scored his 61st career win at the age of 8. He will leave from post nine with driver Dean Magee piloting for trainer John Filomeno.
Escaper (Muscle Hill), who recently scored his eighth local win and 11th overall win of the season is the 5-2 morning-line choice from post nine in the Open trot and will have regular pilot Billy Mann in the bike for trainer Maria Alvarez.
Saturday’s program will consist of 12 $65,000 Championship races in each division of the Minnesota-sired program.
Headliners for this year’s Night of Champions card include Bringoverthemoney, a 2025 Minnesota Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductee who is the richest Minnesota trotter to date and has won the Championship race the last five years in a row. He is the 5-2 morning-line favorite to win the older male trot division.
Dean Magee will pilot the 10-year-old son of Money Talks for trainer/breeder Katie Horvat from post five.
Peanutbutterfalcon (Quality Kemp) is the 3-5 morning-line choice in the sophomore male trot division from post four, with regular pilot Rick Magee booked to drive for owner/breeder Jeri Roland and trainer Dan Roland. He will try to expand on his current nine-race win streak and become a repeat champion as he took home the trophy last season as a freshman.
With a victory on Saturday night, Peanutbutterfalcon would advance his 2025 summary to 12 wins from 13 starts and would also establish a new state record for seasonal earnings in the Minnesota program. He currently boasts $103,600 in purses for the season.
Miss May Bell (Karpathian Kid) is installed as the 4-5 morning-line choice from post five in the sophomore filly pace division and has won seven of nine outings this season while twice pacing in 1:54.4.
Brady Jenson will steer Miss May Bell for owner/breeder Merlin Van Otterloo and trainer Brett Ballinger.
In addition to Bringoverthemoney and Peanutbutterfalcon, there are six other horses that captured victory on Night of Champions last year and will try to repeat on Saturday night, they include: Wilamar Spark (7-5 in older mare trot), Skooch’s Valentine (8-1 in sophomore filly pace), Swinging On By (3-1 in sophomore male pace), SHS Southern Pride (3-1 in sophomore filly trot), Deja Vu Babyboo (5-2 in older mare pace) and Fillister Photo (5-1, also in the older mare pace).
Brady Jenson, who won his first career meet titles last season as both the leading driver and leading trainer, appears poised to repeat in both categories again this year. he has a seven-win lead over Rick Magee in the driver standings and a seven-win lead over Maria Alvarez in the trainer standings going into this weekend.
The Saturday night program will also be highlighted by promotional coverage from special guest and harness racing social media icon Heather Vitale, as well as live bugle calls from guest bugler Ken Walker.
The races on both Friday and Saturday night are named for equine and human members of the Minnesota Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
Post time is 6 p.m. (CDT) for both Friday and Saturday night. The 20-cent Pick-5, 50-cent Late Pick-4 and Pick-3 and the late 50-cent Hi-5 wagers will all be subject to mandatory payouts on Saturday night.