by Gregg Keidel, director of racing, Running Aces Harness Park

Columbus, MN — “Come for the races…and stay for the Aces” was the slogan used to promote the 50th racing program at Running Aces Harness Park on Monday (June 30), referring to the fact that the brand new state-of-the-art facility, by Minnesota law, was permitted to open its cardroom casino the minute that the last race on the milestone Monday evening card went official.

Actually, hundreds of the several thousand fans in attendance for the races couldn’t wait for the “cards in the air” declaration they had waited so patiently for over the last three months, swarming the tables and filling virtually every seat in the 50 table poker, blackjack, pai gow, and three and four card emporium with two races still to be contested, assuring themselves of a place in the games when they started. Within minutes of the cardroom opening, long waiting lists developed for every poker table in the room, from $1-$2 games to a high-rollers $30-$60 Texas Hold ‘Em showdown at the sunken featured table in the center of the casino.

A number of horsemen who have participated at Running Aces during its inaugural season were either playing at the tables or spectating from the nearby lounge, universally praising the newest phase of the operation and excited about the prospects for 2009 and beyond, when approximately 15 percent of the cardroom’s net revenues will be added to the purse account.

On the track, the championships of the final three series of the season were contested and each produced fast winners. Quickest of all was Mysparklindiamond, the fantastic filly who bested seven male competitors to stamp herself as the best Minnesota-sired horse at the meet. The Susan Schroeder trainee cruised to a 3-1/2 length victory in 1:55.1, a second faster than any other winning mile by any distaff pacer, regardless of age, in Minnesota this year. Leading driver John DeLong was in the sulky for owner Brandon Jenson. It was the daughter of Heavenly Favored’s fifth win in her last six starts, besting Sammy Kankan (Bob Lems) and Whata Blue Boy (Rick Magee) to garner the lion’s share of the $6,000 purse.

Interestingly, Mysparklindiamond was bred by Ron and Susan Hanusa of Minnamara Farm in Hayfield, Minnesota, and is a half-sister to Mac T’s Diamond, who won the featured weekly Class A pace two nights earlier. The two offspring of broodmare Todds Diamond have combined for 17 wins in the last three months at Running Aces.

Earlier in the evening, Count Monte Cristo (Royal Roland) pulled a mild upset over Charisma Hotspur (Magee) to capture the Hopeful Series finale for maiden pacers in 1:57.1. The Blissfull Hall colt is now three-for-three to start his sophomore campaign for Roland, his wife Barbara and partner Carol Kessel. TC’s Firepanbanker (Craig Banks) got the show dough in the $4,000 championship.

The $6,000 final of the Twin Cities Series, for non-winners of three races or $10,000 lifetime, turned into a walk in the park for Game On, who sped home in a :28 final panel for DeLong to win by seven lengths over More Again (Joey Mapes) and Whata Piranha (Adam Hauser). The 4-year-old Cole Muffler gelding won two of the preliminary legs of the series prior to lowering his lifetime mark to 1:55 in the championship.

A Fillies and Mares Class A pace was also staged on the special card with Filly Finale (Gerald Longo) edging Mellowroad (DeLong) by a neck in 1:56.1. Valentine Hotspur (Dale Lagerquist) was a couple lengths back in third. It was the third recent win at the top level for Filly Finale, although the weekly mares featured event has produced eight different winning horses during the inaugural season from the highly competitive bunch of female pacers that have been calling Minnesota home of late.

Running Aces’ 2008 racing season will end after three more holiday programs over the July 4th weekend.