from Running Aces Harness Park

Columbus, MN — It has been a “family feud” every time a field of older Minnesota-sired trotters comes to the gate at Running Aces this season. It will likely be no exception when the first race is called to post on Wednesday night (August 8) for a weekly $5,500 trot restricted to state-bred 4-year-olds and up.

Susan Schroeder photo

Full brothers Nearly Rich (left) and Greenback (right) will square off again on Wednesday night.

Full brothers Nearly Rich, age five, and Greenback, age four, have won all five of the previous races contested in this division this summer. Older brother Nearly Rich has notched three of those triumphs, while kid brother Greenback has won two. Both geldings are sired by Rich Boy and out of Fight Back by Garland Lobell.

The Jenson Stable of Iowa bred both trotters and has trained Nearly Rich for owner Robert Davis of Colorado his entire career. Greenback was sold to fellow Iowan Harvard Sandbulte as a baby and is trained by Joel McDanel.

While Greenback has a few more lifetime wins than his older brother (13-10) and a lifetime record over a second faster (1:59.2 to 2:00.3), Nearly Rich has the career earnings advantage with a $49,257 to $42,911 edge. In 2012, both horses have eight starts with Greenback earning $10,665 and Nearly Rich $10,335.

Running Aces’ leading driver Nick Roland, who won eight races over the two recent weekend cards, will guide Nearly Rich, who has been assigned morning line favoritism at 6-5. Veteran Craig Banks will handle Greenback’s reins as the 8-5 second choice. Rounding out the compact field will be Speedy Sensation (Rick Magee), Al Mar Racing Reno (Lemoyne Svendsen) and Switcheroo (Gerry Longo).

The Wednesday night card will also feature a $5,500 pace for older Minnesota-sired horses and geldings. Ya U Betcha (Longo) gets the slight morning line edge at 2-1 over Vanishing Ryan (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.), who will open at 5-2, and Peanuts (Svendsen) at 3-1.

Later in the program, a $10,000 Open Trot is expected to be a wide open affair as Shelby County, who has won six of the last eight trotting features, has been ordered to the sidelines for a week. The eight trotters in this week’s race comprise a balanced field with 140 total career victories and $548,870 in career earnings. The winningest of the bunch, Frank’s Best with 24 wins and $143,178 banked, has been installed as the favorite at 3-1. The others must all feel they have a good chance in this competitive field, too, as every horse in the race was timed within three-fifths of a second of one another last week.

Post time for both the Tuesday and Wednesday night mid-week programs at Running Aces is 7 p.m. (CDT).