A pair of three-year-olds, Tropicana Special and Flea Flicker, beat a field that included six other older rivals in the $7,500 championship leg of the “Royal Flush” trotting series for non-winners of two races at Running Aces Saturday night

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Oddly, the series final was the only one of nine races on the program where the winner did not set a new personal best win time. Track Superintendent John Betts and his crew had the five-eighths mile oval groomed to perfection again as race after race went quicker than expected, including a new 1:56.3 track record for two-year-old geldings set by Chewy Baca.

Driver Rick Magee used the advantageous inside post position that Tropicana Special drew for the final to get away fourth early, then moved first up on the outside just past the first quarter and eventually throwing a :29.3 final panel to win by three-quarters of a length over Flea Flicker (Joey Mapes). Amidst (Nick Roland) finished third in the 2:01.1 mile.

The winner, owned by Jesse and John De Long, was winless in three preliminary legs of the series although he had been knocking on the door.

The triumph for Rick Magee was one of four on the night for the talented Wisconsin reinsman, who won the dash crown at Running Aces in 2009. His other tallies came behind Speedy Sensation in a $4,000 Minnesota-sired colt trot, Bring Iton Mr Rick in a $2,500 claiming pace, and he was the pilot of Chewy Baca during his record-setting journey in the $4,000 Minnesota-sired freshman pace.

(Running Aces)