Columbus, MN — As 2022 has come to a close, Running Aces track announcer Darin Gagne shares his list of top moments of the 2022 Running Aces season, in no particular order.

Search The Sea (Downbytheseaside) posted a dominant sweep of the Burning Blaze pacing series in May and June for trainer/driver Brady Jenson, trouncing the competition in the final on June 9 in 1:55.4. It was an extra special win for Jenson since his godparents Cheryl and Alan Sandbulte co-owned and bred the late Minnesota star Burning Blaze.

Alilthundadownunda (Malak Uswaad N) with trainer/driver Nick Roland. Dee Leftwich photo.

Alilthundadownunda (Malak Uswaad N) with trainer/driver Nick Roland for Set The Pace Racing, returned to Running Aces as the reigning Horse of the Year in Minnesota and proved he could compete with the best older male pacers around with a couple of early meet wins in the Open Handicap pace. The win on June 7 in a career best 1:51.2 mile included one of the most impressive power moves I have ever seen in any of the 20,000 plus races that I have called.

Susie’s Sister with Tony Kerwood captured her Wiseman Memorial elimination heat on June 19 in a sparkling 1:54.3, which became the fourth different current track record that she now holds. She is a daughter of the late Claudius Augustus and was trained by Jenni King for Lynchris, LLC.

Curvsreasyondaeyes (Easy Again) with Luke R. Plano for trainer Maria Alvarez and owner Kati Sokolowski opened up his 3-year-old campaign with eight straight wins; he was then a close fourth while slightly under the weather before bouncing back to top form to capture his $60,000 divisional final on Night of Champions.

All American N, also with Luke Plano for team Alvarez/Hernandez, captured the Steve Wiseman Memorial Trot for the second straight year on June 26 in 1:55.2, as part of another ‘king of the hill’ season in Minnesota for the sharp son of Muscle Hill, who won nine races at the meet.

Dean Magee (‘The Bobcat’) posted his 5,000th career win when he piloted Just B Talking to a sharp 1:54 win on June 28. The awesome milestone moment was so much more special as the win came behind his own trainee and family horse owned by his son Taylor Magee and Taylor’s girlfriend Hannah Larson. Magee wound up winning more than 90 races and $900,000 in purses at Aces in 2022.

A Major Omen (Art Major) with Tony Kerwood charged home to win the $50,000 Dan Patch FFA final in 1:50.4 on July 24, paying big dividends to his fans at 25-1 odds. Owner/trainer Gerald Longo said it was one of the best moments of his more than 50 year career. A Major Omen wound up winning 15 races in 2022 with nine of them at Running Aces. He also won the $25,000 Goody Two Socks pace on Sept. 16.

Driver Brady Jenson scored five driving wins on Aug. 25 at Running Aces. Dee Leftwich photo.

Brady Jenson dominated the Aces card on Aug. 25 with five driving wins for the first five-win night of his career. Jenson has been a homegrown rising star at Running Aces over the past few years, and in 2022 he made the top three as both a trainer and driver. Team Jenson also had two wins on Night of Champions with Al-Mar Rich’s Jetta and Twisted Bliss, with big brother Brandon Jenson scoring the driving double on the Champions program.

Iron Sharpens Iron with Luke Plano for DanJer Farms (Dan and Jeralene Roland) and Angie Coleman captured his eighth straight win on Sept. 6, lowering his track record number to 1:58.1 and posting his fourth record mile of the year. The impressive son of the late star Banker Volo absolutely dominated the freshman male trotting division in Minnesota in 2022. He made it nine in a row in his $60,000 final on Night of Champions to become the richest 2-year-old ever in the Minnesota program.

Bringoverthemoney with Dean Magee for Katie Horvat and Joshua Horvat, captured his $60,000 divisional championship on Sept. 17 in a seasonal best 1:55.1, making it three straight years as the older male trotting division champion. The ultra-impressive son of Money Talks continues to age like a fine wine and it has been a tremendous job by Katie and her team keeping this classy trotter at the top of his game each year.

Luke Plano (‘Cool Hand Luke’) posted a banner year at Running Aces in 2022 to capture his first local driving title. He recorded more than 100 wins, winning at a 23 percent clip and posted a UDR of .370 while also becoming the first driver to eclipse $1 million in purses in a single season at Aces.

Also worthy of mention: Young driver James Gould posted his first career pari-mutuel win at Aces on Aug. 4 (Big Rusty); trainer Mikaela Del Giudice scored her first win on Aug. 9 with Zanetti, and trainer Alexia Kehl recorded her 100th training win this summer on July 10 (Ice Master).

The Minnesota track also posted record wagering handle numbers in 2022, with all-sources handle on the Running Aces product exceeding the track’s previous mark by more than 30 percent, and total purses paid topping $6 million for the first time, an increase of more than $1 million from the previous purse mark.

Horses will be back at Running Aces in just four months, with the backside opening for the 2023 season on Sunday (April 30) and first qualifiers on Thursday (May 4). Opening night is set for Sunday (May 14).