Talented trotters were in the spotlight at Running Aces on Sunday (Aug. 6) with Minnesota-sired sophomores featured along with the Steve Wiseman Memorial Trot eliminations and fans were treated to some exciting racing and impressive performances. 

BPs Lucky Star ($2.20) stole the show again this week by posting his third straight dominating performance in the $18,250 sophomore male trot, going gate-to-wire and powering away in the lane by 3-1/2 lengths while shattering his own track mark by four-fifths of a second with a scintillating 1:54.2 mile.

Mooney Svendsen was in the driver’s seat and wasted no time in getting the star to the front of the field while Wisco Wild Card (Jacob Cutting) got away fast to secure the second spot and Ice splitter (Todd Warren) dropped in third. BPs Lucky Star held firm control while Wisco Wild Card kept close tabs in second and they were clearly the top two in the affair. In the lane, BPs Lucky Star kicked into high gear and was just too good again, trotting home in :28.2 to seal the deal while Wisco Wild Card trotted the race of his career as well to get home in 1:55, well clear of Whata Tettegouche (Dean Magee), who rallied late for third money. 

The winner, sired by For You Almost Free, is owned by trainer Rick Huffman, Brenda Lovetinsky and Penny Lundell.

The first $20,000 Wiseman Trot elimination split went to Mandeville ($33), who posted a thrilling last-to-first rally to get up by a nose as the longest shot on the board at 15-1.

Susies Sister (Nick Roland) powered away from the gate to grab the early lead while Jack Vernon (Todd Warren) dropped in the pocket and Dylan The Great (Sean Smithpeters) challenged on the outside, with Bringoverthemoney (Dean Magee) following cover through the middle stages. Susies Sister posted solid fractions of :28.1, :57.2 and 1:26.1 before coming under siege in the lane, with the entire field in contention as they entered the final sixteenth of a mile. Jack Vernon surged in the passing lane and Bringoverthemoney closed in the middle of the track but Mandeville and Kevin Wallis were closing fastest of all from the back of the pack and surged on the outside and were up in time to grab the victory in 1:55.4 over Jack Vernon with Bringoverthemoney narrowly holding third from a fast-closing Chiplosive (Luke Plano). 

Mandeville is an 11-year-old by Majestic Son, owned and trained by Gerald Longo. The classy campaigner now shows 57 career wins and earnings of $473,346 to date. 

Rock Party ($6.80) and Dean Magee posted a very impressive first-over effort to capture the second $20,000 elimination split in a career best 1:54.3 mile, getting home three-quarters of a length better than Perlucky (Warren) with Stride The Hill (Wallis) home in third and race favourite Winnerup (Plano) rounding out the top four. 

Perlucky left fast for the lead before Winnerup surged to the front during the :56.1 opening half-mile. Winnerup led the field down the backside and Rock Party launched his bid just past the five-eighths marker. Winnerup led the field into the lane but Rock Party trotted strongest of all to the wire while Perlucky closed well inside and Stride The Hill surged late.

The winner is owned by Chupp Racing Stable and is trained by Bob Johnson. The six-year-old Cantab Hall gelding now shows 23 wins with $230,382 in career earnings.  

The top four finishers from each elimination, as well as the fastest fifth-place finisher (Scorecard Dan, 1:55.2) have advanced to the $35,000 Wiseman Memorial Trot Final on Sunday, Aug. 13.

Drivers Nick Roland and Rick Magee led the program, each recording doubles. 

Live harness racing returns to Running Aces on Tuesday (Aug. 8) for a nine-race program, which gets underway at 7 p.m. (CDT).

(Running Aces)