The 2023 Minnesota Harness Racing divisional award winners have been announced ahead of the MHRI Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet. The celebration of the 2023 season will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Running Aces Casino Hotel and Racetrack in Columbus. 

The Minnesota divisional awards are made up of the top two performers by earnings in each age and gender group in the Minnesota-sired restricted events at Running Aces. 

Following tradition, the overall 2023 Minnesota Harness Horse of the Year award will have open nominations and a live vote at the banquet.

The 2023 Minnesota Harness Racing freshman divisional champions are Baby Flash, Insurrectionist, Apple Juice and El Parrandero Q.

The 2023 freshman divisional runner-up award winners are Bankers Grace, Bankers Quest, Deja Vu Babyboo and Fast Larry 

The Minnesota champion freshman filly trotter award will go to Baby Flash, a daughter of Southwind Flash. She dominated her division, storming into Running Aces on July 11 after ripping off four wins at the Iowa fairs to start her career. She won five of her seven starts at Running Aces and overall she won 13 of 15 races for the year and earned a total of $92,474 while taking her freshman mark of 2:01.2 at Aces on Sept. 16. Baby Flash was bred by Dennis Bontrager and is owned by trainer Rick Huffman in partnership with Keith Wilson and Brenda Lovetinsky. Her regular pilot is Chad Svendsen. 

The runner-up freshman filly trotter award winner is Bankers Grace, a daughter of Banker Volo who had one win and six top three finishes from 10 starts in 2023 while earning a total of $44,751 and taking a mark of 2:02.2 at Aces. Bankers Grace was bred by her owner Kennedy Roland and is trained by Dan Roland.  Nick Roland and Rick Magee were go-to drivers for Bankers Grace. 

The freshman colt champion trotter award goes to Insurrectionist, a son of Banker Volo out of Lindys On Fire. He took a mark of 2:00.3 on Aug. 15 while completing a three-race win streak at Running Aces. He won a total of $68,907 with five wins on his card overall from 12 starts and was never off the board during his freshman campaign. Insurrectionist is owned by his breeder Jeralene Roland and is trained by Dan Roland. He was regularly driven by Luke Plano. 

The runner-up freshman colt trotter award winner is Bankers Quest, another son of Banker Volo who is also owned by breeder Jeralene Roland and trained by Dan Roland. Bankers Quest had one win and nine top three finishes from 11 starts in 2023 and took a freshman mark of 2:02.1 at Aces. He earned a total of $46,314 for the season. 

The 2023 freshman filly champion pacer award winner is Apple Juice, a daughter of Fancy Schmansy out of Computer Art who is a homebred for owner/trainer/breeder Scott Banitt. Apple Juice was part of a huge rivalry amongst the top two fillies in her division, trading wins throughout the season with the division runner-up. Apple Juice was able to capture the championship award by posting five wins in her last seven Aces starts. Apple Juice took a mark of 1:54.2 on Aug. 24 and finished her freshman campaign with an overall total of eight wins and four seconds from 13 starts and total earnings of $103,117. Jacob Cutting was the first-call driver for Apple Juice. 

The runner-up freshman filly pacer award winner is Deja Vu Babyboo, a daughter of Karpathian Kid out of Whatitdo Babyboo. She posted a stellar freshman campaign as well and traded wins with Apple Juice throughout the summer.  Deja Vu Babyboo turned in a track record performance while taking her freshman mark of 1:54 on July 20. She posted four wins, five seconds and one third in 10 outings and banked a total of $67,258 for the year. Deja Vu Babyboo is owned by her breeder Van Otterloo Stables and trained by Robert Lems. Her regular pilot was Dean Magee. 

The champion freshman colt pacer award goes to El Parrandero Q, a son of Wind Me Up out of Lil Miss Knuckles, a homebred for breeder Fabiola Quevedo and owner Triple Q Stables. El Parrandero Q dominated the division early in the season, and racked up enough earnings to be uncatchable going into the final weeks of the season. He won five races from 12 Aces starts and took a mark of 1:56.1 on Aug. 17. He posted total earnings of $57,710 for the year.  Edwin Quevedo is the trainer for El Parrandero Q and his regular pilot was Jacob Cutting. 

The runner-up freshman colt pacer award winner is Fast Larry, a son of Arts Chip who dominated his division in the final weeks of the 2023 season. He was second by a neck in his first career start on Aug. 24 and then won his final four Aces starts, taking a mark of 1:54.4 on Night of Champions. Fast Larry closed out his freshman campaign with a total of four wins from five starts and total earnings of $56,500 for owner Gary Carlson. He was prepped for the season by Rick Lancaster and then trained and driven by Brady Jenson thereafter. 

The 2023 Minnesota Harness Racing sophomore divisional champions are Wisco Tootsie, Iron Sharpens Iron, Gotubydashorthairs and Im A Skoldier.

The sophomore divisional runner-up award winners are Caronamar, BPs Lucky Star, Quite The Flirt and King Of Aces.

Wisco Tootsie (sired by Southwind Flash) put together a very impressive sophomore campaign to be a clear division leader amongst the filly trotters, solidifying her dominance with three straight Aces wins in August, including her career best win in 2:00.1 on Aug. 20. She was a perfect four-for-four during that month including a win at the Saint Peter fair. Wisco Tootsie closed out her season with a total of eight wins and four seconds from 21 starts and total earnings of $93,473 for her owners, The Sandstone Social Club, and trainer Dan Roland. She was bred by Harlan Nolt. Rick Magee was the regular driver for Wisco Tootsie. 

The runner-up sophomore filly trotter award winner is Caronamar, a daughter of Southwind Cobra who was a clear second in her division, she was particularly sharp in July, achieving back-to-back wins late that month including posting her sophomore mark in 2:00.2 at Aces on July 23. Caronamar ended her season with 10 top three finishes from 18 starts and total earnings of $47, 549 for owners Jeanne Marquis and Jay De Long. Justin Anfinson does the training and Todd Warren was her regular pilot. 

Iron Sharpens Iron captured the 2023 sophomore colt trotter champion award with another very impressive season. The defending 2022 Minnesota Harness Horse of the Year won eight of 11 starts at Running Aces while never off the board. He won 10 races overall in 2023 and earned a total of $123,389 for the year. He took his sophomore mark of 1:55 at Aces on Aug. 20. Iron Sharpens Iron is a son of Banker Volo out of Lindys On Fire. He is owned by trainer Dan Roland and was also owned during his summer campaign by his breeder Jeralene Roland as well as Devon Arp and the late Alfredo Villarreal. Luke Plano is the regular driver for Iron Sharpens Iron. 

The runner-up sophomore colt trotter award winner is BPs Lucky Star (sired by For You Almostfree), who posted a tremendous campaign in his own right and was a clear second in the division. BPs Lucky Star was razor sharp in July and August, capturing the headlines with three Aces track record performances including his career-best mile of 1:54.2 on Aug. 6. He posted a total of seven wins and three seconds from 14 starts while racking up total earnings of $78,124 for the season. BPs Lucky Star is owned by his trainer, Rick Huffman, in partnership with Brenda Lovetinsky and Penny Lundell. Mooney Svendsen was his regular pilot. 

The sophomore filly pacer champion is Gotubydashorthairs, a daughter of Wind Me Up who absolutely dominated her division in 2023. She posted nine wins from 12 Aces starts including a four-race win streak to close out her season, all while flaunting her signature and dramatic come-from-behind racing style. She accumulated total earnings of $126,087 and took a mark of 1:53.3 on June 29. Gotubydashorthairs is owned by her breeder Mark Anderson and trained by Gordon Graham. Nick Roland was her regular driver. 

The runner-up sophomore pacing filly award goes to Quite The Flirt, also a daughter of Wind Me Up. Quite The Flirt had one win and eight top three finishes from 13 Aces starts and took her sophomore mark of 1:56.1 at Aces on June 1. Overall, she had one win and 11 top three finishes from 22 starts in 2023 and posted total earnings of $50,718 for the year. During her 2023 Minnesota campaign, Quite The Flirt was owned by her breeder Van Otterloo Stables and trained by Robert Lems. 

The sophomore colt pacer champion award winner is Im A Skoldier, a son of Wind Me Up who dominated the division early in 2023 and recorded five wins, three seconds and three thirds from 13 Aces starts. Im A Skoldier took a sophomore mark of 1:52.3 on June 8. He closed out his year with an overall summary of 8-3-5 from 24 starts and total earnings of $98,488. He was owned during his 2023 Minnesota campaign by his breeder Van Otterloo Stables and was trained by Robert Lems. Mooney Svendsen was his regular pilot at Running Aces. 

The runner-up sophomore colt pacer award winner is King Of Aces, a son of Three Of Clubs out of Poorlittlerichgirl who is a homebred for breeder Williams Hernandez and owner Maria Alvarez. King Of Aces posted one win and 10 top three finishes from 11 Aces starts in 2023, taking a sophomore mark of 1:54.1 on May 25. He closed out the year with two wins overall and total earnings of $53,158. Williams Hernandez was the trainer and Luke Plano was the regular Aces pilot for King Of Aces. 

The 2023 Minnesota Harness Racing older divisional champions are Susies Sister, Bringoverthemoney, Cruzin Coco and Handsome Harvey. 

The 2023 older divisional runner-up award winners are Wilamar Spark, Al Mar Spicey Talk, Kitty Wampus and Alilthundadownunda.

Susies Sister is a daughter of Claudius Augustus out of the S Js Photo mare, Sues Photo. She posted three wins, four seconds and one third from 16 Running Aces starts in 2023 during her six-year-old campaign to capture the divisional champion award. Susies Sister closed out her year with a total of four wins and 13 top three finishes from 24 starts and total earnings of $78,776 for owner Lynchris LLC. Her fastest seasonal win time of 1:55.3 came at Running Aces on June 18, and she repeated that clocking again on July 2. She was bred by A Piece Of The Action LLC and was trained during her Minnesota campaign by Jenni King. 

The older trotting mare runner-up award winner is Wilamar Spark, a daughter of Southwind Flash who had two wins, two seconds and five thirds from 17 Aces starts, taking her career mark of 1:57.1 on Aug. 13. She closed out her four-year-old season with a final overall summary of 27-4-4-5 with total earnings of $36,798. Wilamar Spark is owned by her breeder, Jeanne Marquis, in partnership with Jay De Long, and is trained by Justin Anfinson. 

The older male trotting division champion is Bringoverthemoney, a son of Money Talks out of the Overcomer mare Bringitover who posted yet another very impressive campaign in his eight-year-old season. Bringoverthemoney was competitive throughout the year at the top Open Handicap level and recorded three wins, two seconds and five thirds from 19 Aces starts, posting his fastest win of the season in 1:54.3 on Night of Champions. Bringoverthemoney ended his 2023 campaign with an overall summary of 28-6-2-5 and total earnings of $78,114 for owner Joshua Horvat. His career earnings now stand at $366,025, which makes him the richest Minnesota-sired trotter to date. Katie Horvat is the breeder and trainer for Bringoverthemoney and his 2023 drivers included Jacob Cutting, Dean Magee and Mooney Svendsen. 

The older trotting runner-up award winner is Al Mar Spicey Talk, also a son of Money Talks and also owned by Joshua Horvat and trained by Katie Horvat. Al Mar Spicey Talk recorded two wins and six top three finishes from 18 Running Aces starts in 2023, equalling his career-best time of 1:57.2 on July 23. He had only one start outside of Aces during his six-year-old campaign, which was a third-place finish at Cannon Falls. He earned a total of $24,368 for the season and also eclipsed the $100,000 mark in career earnings during 2023. 

The 2023 champion older pacing mare is Cruzin Coco, a daughter of Voracious Hanover out of the Big Towner mare Towners Love Dove. Cruzin Coco posted six wins, one second and two thirds from 13 starts at Running Aces during her 10-year-old season. She posted her fastest winning mile of 2023 (1:52.4) at The Meadowlands on April 14. She closed out her season with a final overall summary of 24-8-0-3 while earning a total of $48,411. Her career totals after 2023 show 47 wins and earnings of $366,764. Cruzin Coco was bred by Ron Emerson and was owned during her 2023 Minnesota campaign by Ashley Sluggett and was trained by Darryl Cutting and later by Michael Meza. Her main drivers included Jacob Cutting and James Lackey. She was retired from racing at the end of the Running Aces season and sold to Van Otterloo Stables to begin a new career as a broodmare. 

The runner-up older pacing mare award goes to Kitty Wampus, a daughter of Its That Time who recorded three wins, four seconds and two thirds from 14 starts at Running Aces during her four-year-old campaign. Her seasonal-best win of 1:54.3 came on June 15. Kitty Wampus rounded out 2023 with a total of three wins and 12 top three finishes from 37 starts, with total earnings of $50,641 for owners Heart & Soul Racing and Craig Rhodes. Brett Ballinger was the trainer at Running Aces for Kitty Wampus and she was bred by Van Otterloo Stables. 

The older male pacing divisional champion award goes to Handsome Harvey, a son of Special Forces who had six wins and two seconds from 14 starts at Running Aces during his four-year-old season. He worked his way all the way up to the Open Handicap level and was able to beat some of the best older male pacers at the top level in the process. Handsome Harvey took his career mark of 1:51.3 at Aces on July 3. He showed an overall summary of 29-12-6-4 for the year with total earnings of $89,848 for owners Dave Haness and Luke Plano, who also trains and drives. Timothy Lems was the breeder for Handsome Harvey. 

The runner-up older male pacer award winner for 2023 is Alilthundadownunda, a son of Malak Uswaad N. The divisional award winner had another great campaign as a five-year-old in 2023. Alilthundadownunda had two wins, four seconds and one third from 15 Running Aces starts, with his fastest win for the season of 1:52.2 coming at Aces on May 16. His overall summary for the year was 36-7-8-1 and he had total earnings in 2023 of $94,684. Alilthundadownunda is owned by his breeder, Set The Pace Racing LLC, and is trained and driven by Nick Roland. 

(With files from Minnesota Harness Racing; Photo of Bringoverthemoney winning at Running Aces)