from Running Aces Harness Park

Columbus, MN — Running Aces saved the best for last as it presents Minnesota State Championships Night on closing day this Saturday, August 28. Total purses for the ten-race card are $166,500 with the eight Minnesota-sired races going for purses of $15,000 to $22,500 depending on their field size.

Likely favorites are R A’s Shakenbake (driver Will Roland, trainer Trent Drollinger, owner Rockaway Racing Stable) in the $15,000 2-year-old colt trot; the Rockaway Racing Stable’s entry of Wisconsin Place (Dean Magee) and Rockaways Pyro (Will Roland) in the $20,000 2-year-old filly pace; Gravity Storm (Craig Banks/Wolfswinkel Pacers Inc.) in the $17,500 2-year-old colt pace; Little Tootsie (Dean Magee/Merlin Van Otterloo) in the $17,500 3-year-old filly pace; Restless Yankee (Craig Banks/Robert Lems/Ron Emerson and Mark Holtan) in the $17,500 3-year-old colt pace; DJ Speedy Fox (Craig Banks in partnership with Ernest and Lucas Koltis) a slight nod over DJ French Baby (Rick Magee for owner Kenneth Stauffer) in the $20,000 3-year-old & Up trot; Dandy Di (Tom Tetrick/Robert Lems/Chris Lems) in the $20,000 4-year-old & up mares pace; and Do The Kankan (Ryan Lems), WW Win (Dean Magee/Dan Epp/Joan Swanson and Bud Epp) and Gogan (Brandon Jenson/Jenson-Lempke-Foth-Olson partnership) in the competitive $22,500 4-year-old & up horses and geldings pace.

In the $7,500 Open Trot on closing night Macs Bad Boy (Mark King/D. W. Camac/John Wagner) will look for his third consecutive victory. My Victory Song (Gene Miller) and Chip Of Nordic (Tim Maier) are expected to challenge the favorite who will start from an assigned outside post.

The $9,000 Open Pace will see standout ML Jackhammer (Dan Maier/Linda Magnusson) strive for his fifth straight Open company triumph from the nine-hole behind the starting gate. He could get stiff competition from a host of other fine pacers who have spent their summer in Minnesota, including Gooch’s Bad Boy (Nick Roland/Tessa Roland), Who Am I (Tom Tetrick/Jesse DeLong), Arizona Liar (Mark King), Tattler’s Jet (Gerald Longo/Gene Miller), ODB (J. D. Perrin/Pete Precopi), El Gee’s Foggyflyte (Dean Magee/Jenni King) and Chris Fatta (Evan Coblentz).

Over the course of the 51-night 2010 season Running Aces total purses paid out were $2,067,500 for an average of just over $4,500 per race.

With just the final program to go, Dean Magee is a sure winner in the drivers’ dash derby (70 wins), making him the third different leading driver in the three seasons contested thus far at Running Aces. Other top 15 drivers are Rick Magee, the 2009 champion with 35 victories, Tim Maier (30), Nick Roland (26), Dan Maier (25), 2008 champion John DeLong (24), Joey Mapes (24), J.D. Perrin (22), Tom T. Tetrick (22), Evan Coblentz (21), Gerald Longo (18), Adam Short (18), Adam Hauser (15), Craig Banks (13) and Mark King (13).

On the training side, Tim Maier’s 43 wins will make him the training champion in his initial season at Running Aces — again the third winner in three years of commercial racing at the Minnesota track. Others atop the conditioners’ standings are Robert Lems (22 wins), Jesse DeLong (21), Evan Coblentz (20), Rick Mapes (18), Chris Banks (16), Cheryl Whitsell (16), 2008 training champion Justin Anfinson (15), 2009 winner Rick Magee (15), Dan Poprawski (15), Kim Johnson (13), Gerald Longo (13), Tessa Roland (12), Kandace Schooley (12) and Jon Anderson (11).

Average overall nightly handle at Running Aces has more than tripled in the third season as huge crowds of newly-created harness racing fans flood the grandstand apron night after night and increasing numbers of simulcast partners realize the full fields and competitive racing is an attractive additional option for their patrons.