The Thursday evening (May 25) harness racing card at Running Aces was loaded with featured events, including two divisions of Minnesota-sired sophomore pacers, two divisions of the Burning Blaze Pacing Series and the weekly Mares Open Handicap Pace.
In the $18,250 sophomore colts and geldings division, race favourite and last year's freshman division champion Im A Skoldier (Mooney Svendsen) left sharp from the outside seven post to take the early lead before the :27.4 quarter while longshot Kawabunga (Chad Svendsen) secured the pocket and Polar Storm (Dean Magee) paced third.
Im A Skoldier posted solid middle fractions of :57 and 1:25.2 while pressured by a first-over attack from Polar Storm, while Dougsmonkeybusines (Jacob Cutting) and King Of Aces (Luke Plano) followed cover.
In the homestretch, Im A Skoldier tried to fend off all challengers but deep in the lane he lost the lead to Dougsmonkeybusines while Plano tipped wide with King Of Aces ($13.60) and surged by the top pair to prevail by a neck in a thrilling photo-finish in 1:54.1.
The winner is a son of Three Of Clubs and is owned by Maria Alvarez and trained by Williams Hernandez. The clocking was a new lifetime best and he now shows three wins in six career starts.
Maggie Rhee (Todd Warren, $2.40) delivered another big performance in the $18,500 Mares Open Handicap Pace for the second straight week.
The talented daughter of Jeremes Jet made a sharp mid-race move from the back of the pack to take control of the contest, before also pacing home strong with a :28 final panel to keep her rivals at bay. Divine Art (Dean Magee) shook free late in the stretch and flew home to grab second money over Lady Rocknrolla A (Mooney Svendsen) in the 1:52.3 mile.
The winner is owned by Wilson Racing Stable, Norman Neff and Mark Eichberger, and is trained by Tim Wilson, Jr.
Whackitifyougotit (Jacob Cutting, $32.60) pulled off a 15-1 upset in the $18,250 sophomore fillies pace with a scintillating rally from seventh at the top of the lane to surge between horses and get up by a head in a career best 1:57.4 mile. Runner-up Quite The Flirt (Plano) and third-place finisher Gotubydashorthairs (Svensden) both also closed sharply in the stretch.
The winner is owned by Jay De Long and Jeff Carey, and is trained by Justin Anfinson.
Blinded By Delight (James Lackey, $2.60) posted her fifth straight win with a dominating 1:55.1 score in her $8,000 division of the Burning Blaze Series. She was home 2-3/4 lengths better than River Of Life (Gerald Longo) with longshot Ideal Poppy (Nick Roland) picking up third.
Sneak Peek Hanover (Dean Magee, $3.20) stopped the timer in 1:54.4 to capture the other $8,000 division by a half-length for his second straight win. Longshots Speakdollarsncents (Warren) and Jeremys Alibi (Roland) completed the trifecta.
Drivers Luke Plano and Jacob Cutting both posted triples on the Thursday program, while Dean Magee and trainers Darryl Cutting and Liberio Pacheco all registered doubles on the card.
Live harness racing returns to Running Aces on Sunday, May 28 for a Memorial Day Celebration featuring a 10-race card with a carryover of $3,773.66 in the 50-cent Hi-5 wager (Race 4) and $8,756.28 in the 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot. First post is at 7 p.m. (CDT).
(Running Aces)