Columbus, MN — Minnesota Harness Racing, Inc. is pleased to announce the three newest inductees into the MHRI Hall of Fame, Roger and Judy Roland and Craig Banks.
The Hall of Fame inductions will take place at the MHRI annual meeting and awards banquet at Running Aces on Saturday (Feb. 22).
Roger Roland will join the immortal persons section of the hall while Judy Roland will join the living persons hall. Roger passed away in November 2024 at the age of 87.
Mr. Roland was a professional man, an accountant by trade, but he also developed an early passion for horses and harness racing, bolstered by growing up near the What Cheer, Iowa, fairgrounds. Roger and Judy were married in 1961 and they began a family including sons Royal and Duane. Roger shared his passion for horses and racing with all of his family members as well as countless friends along the way. Harness racing became a major part of life for the entire Roland family.
Judy Roland came to love the horses and the racing so much so that she decided to become a driver and was a pioneer of sorts in that regard as they raced the family horses across Iowa and Minnesota and other surrounding states. Roger then got his license to drive and the two would battle each other out on the track, each wanting to out-drive the other for the win.
Mrs. Roland even learned to be a starter and came to Minnesota to start races when needed. She also helped to train a new starter for the Minnesota tracks, one who still serves as a starter in Minnesota today.
Across six decades in the sport the Rolands have had many notable champion horses that have enhanced the racing program in Minnesota. They have supported all of the fairs across the entire state as well as the early pari-mutuel Standardbred meets at Canterbury.
The Rolands were also here to support the idea of a dedicated Standardbred pari-mutuel track in Minnesota in the early 2000s. They attended meetings, helped lobby and did anything they could to support the effort that eventually resulted in the opening of Running Aces in 2008.
The biggest contribution that they have made to Minnesota harness racing is one that has, and will continue to provide, high quality horsemanship and tremendous talent to the program for many more years to come: it is that of the entire Roland family and their passion for the sport.
Their sons, Royal and Duane, their grandsons, Nick and Will, granddaughter, Tessa, Roger’s niece and nephew, Tonja and Dan (and the list goes on) have all made significant contributions to Minnesota harness racing. Nick is now the all-time leading trainer and driver in Minnesota history and Dan, a trainer of many champions, recently moved his entire family to Minnesota and established a racing and breeding farm to help strengthen the harness racing program in the state.
The list of notable horses and major accomplishments is as long as a Minnesota summer day. Harness racing in Minnesota and the region is stronger today thanks to the countless contributions of Roger and Judy Roland.
Craig Banks will be inducted into the living persons hall, recognizing his contributions to Minnesota harness racing over a career that has spanned more than five decades.
As the story goes, at some point in the mid-to-late 1970s, Banks was forced to make a choice, to either buy a motorcycle or buy a horse. Fortunately for the sport of harness racing, he opted to buy the horse.
That fateful decision has led to a tremendous career in the sport for Banks, including over 1,000 wins as a driver as well as 348 as a trainer, with over $2.4 million in purse earnings in the bike and over $1.2 million as a trainer.
Banks is part of a big harness racing family that includes fellow Minnesota Hall of Famer and brother, the late Ron Banks. In addition to Craig and Ron, other brothers, notably Larry and Kevin, also made harness racing a big part of their lives, and the extended Banks family includes a long list of contributions to the sport in many different ways.
Banks raced at all of the Minnesota fairs as well as surrounding states, starting in the late 1970s. He was always at or near the top of the yearly standings in Minnesota and also was a top driver at Canterbury. For the first several seasons at Running Aces, he was still very active and among the top drivers and trainers.
Jeff Ryan, who worked with Banks in his early racing days, including a stint at Aurora Downs in Illinois, shared that Banks was “always a great driver for young and green horses” and was a great teacher for young horses. Ryan also shared that for that reason, Banks was a sought after driver for sire stakes horses.
Ryan also mentioned a couple of horses that Banks had tremendous success with, notably Cardamon Leo, whom he paid $600 for and went on to earn over $122,000 as well as another standout, Scot T Yankee, to name just a couple of the many storied horses campaigned by Banks over the years.
Banks has been successful as an owner, trainer and driver. He has also been someone that is sought after for advice and is quick to help others. He’s quick to jump in and help the sport that he loves be successful and has always been a huge supporter of the county fairs, including jumping in to help with track maintenance and do anything he can to help put on a successful fair meet.
Banks is truly a living legend in Minnesota harness racing and has earned his place to be honored among the very best.