from Running Aces Harness Park

Columbus, MN — Running Aces Harness Park is pleased to announce that the 2012 dates for the track’s fifth season of live racing have been approved by the Minnesota Racing Commission. Opening night will be Wednesday (June 6) with racing continuing on a four night a week schedule through a special Labor Day program featuring the lucrative annual Minnesota State Championship races on Monday (Sept. 3).

Live programs will be presented every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday night during the three month meet, with the exception of July 4 which will be dark. Post time will be 7 p.m. every night except Sundays, which will feature an earlier 6 p.m. starting time and additional races. The plan is to program nine races on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, eight on Saturdays, and up to 11 on Sundays in order to take full advantage of export simulcast opportunities.

The purse pool budget for 2012 will be significantly higher for the fifth consecutive season.

“The current purse pool projection calls for an average of $42,000 to be available for each scheduled race date, plus the earmarked Minnesota-sired supplement funds of approximately $225,000 for the season,” reports Director of Racing Gregg Keidel. “That represents a better than 16 percent increase over the $36,000 per program that was budgeted in 2011.

“Due to the effects of the unfortunate three-week state government shutdown this year, though, we had to lower the purse allocation during the second half of the season, so nightly purse levels should start almost 50 percent higher next year than where we finished this year — and with no chance for a budget impasse in 2012.”

“We are excited about moving forward to our fifth season of live Standardbred racing,” declared General Manager Bob Farinella. “With increased purses, we anticipate plentiful participation and lots of great competitive racing.”

Stall applications for the 2012 season will be available beginning Feb. 1, 2012 on the track’s website.