Sophomore pacers were in the spotlight at Running Aces on Thursday, July 30 and Cool Mr Cool delivered yet another dazzling performance to solidify his position as the division leader among the male Minnesota-sired contenders.

Sent off as the heavy 1-5 chalk from post five in the $23,944 'A' split for Minnesota-sired three-year-olds, Cool Mr Cool floated away in fourth position early and sat briefly before driver Casey Leonard activated him to the outside. He swept to the lead, making the top near the three-eights marker and relegating Diesel Thunder Boy (Scott Cisco) to the pocket while Luke Skyrocker and driver Luke Plano traveled in third.

The fractions were solid (:27.4, :56.4 and 1:25.1) and Cool Mr Cool held firm control during the middle stages of the affair with Westward Ho and driver Brady Jenson making a first-over bid and Wild About Me (Nick Roland) following the cover around the far turn.

In the lane it was all Cool Mr Cool, who kicked into high gear with a :27.4 final panel to leave his rivals 2-3/4 lengths behind at the wire in the 1:53 mile. Diesel Thunder Boy held second and Westward Ho rounded out the trifecta.

Cool Mr Cool (Wind Me Up-World Of Her Own) was bred by Alan & Cheryl Sandbulte and has now won six races and $85,357 for owners Kyle Larner of Warren, Mi., Jay De Long of Clinton, Wi., Terry Knothe of Trempealeau, Wi. and trainer Justin Anfinson. He returned $2.60 to win.

Sparklinchardonnay ($20.60) pulled off a 9-1 upset win in the $23,944 'A' filly pace for her third win of the season and a new career mark of 1:55.3. She was a half-length better than Prone To Wander (Rick Magee) with Hotcheddarflirt (Mooney Svendsen) checking home third.

The winner, by Aracache Hanover-Pinot Grigio, is owned, trained and driven by Nick Roland of Grinnell, Ia. and also owned by Carol Polkowske of Oskaloosa, Ia.

K T Part E posted another very sharp effort in the $22,535 Mares Open Handicap Pace for her eighth win of the season.

Trainer-driver Brady Jenson floated K T Part E away fourth on the outside before joining a mad scramble for the top that included both Premier Desirey (Plano) and Mother Mary (Rick Magee) through a :26.4 opener. K T Part E had to work hard to get to the lead but landed in front well before the :55.1 half and was never in doubt after that. After the 1:23.2 third station, K T Part E paced home in :27.4 en route to a 1-3/4 length tally over Mother Mary in 1:51.1. Miss May Bell (Roland) closed late to finish third.

Jenson also owns the $2.60 winner a daughter of Cattlewash-Fine China with 18 wins and $187,176 in purses.

Swinging On Over ($2.40) captured the $11,972 sophomore 'B' division with a career best 1:55.4 mile over Just Like Gotti (Jenson) and Im Easy Peasy (Cisco). Mooney Svendsen was the winning pilot for trainer Anfinson.

Drivers Casey Leonard, Nick Roland and Brady Jenson all posted triples on the Thursday night card, while Roland, Anfinson and Jenson each scored training doubles.

Live harness racing returns to Running Aces on Sunday, Aug 2 for a 12-race program that will feature the $50,000 Dan Patch FFA final as well as a Mandatory Payout in the 20-cent Pick-5 wager, which has a carryover of $49,844.95 and an estimated pool of between $100,000 to $150,000 on Sunday. First post is set for 6 p.m. (CDT).

The sequence for the Pick-5 on Sunday will begin with the $50,000 USD Dan Patch FFA final in race eight, with an approximate post time of 8:34 p.m. CDT. Track officials are estimating that more than $100,000 USD will be wagered into the pool on Sunday.

As part of the USTA's Strategic Wagering Program, free Trackmaster past performance pages for Running Aces are available on the USTA website under Handicapping.

The 2026 $50,000 USD Dan Patch FFA Pace offers a compact but competitive field of five, including 2024 winner and current all-age track record holder Muskateer Hanover (Brady Jenson, 8-5) who has won 10 races and more than $240,000 this season, Cash Money Twenty (Casey Leonard, 7-5) who was the 2024 and 2025 Illinois Horse of the Year and has won six races at Running Aces this season and sports the fastest mile of the meet so far (1:50).

Alta Revelry N (Luke Plano, 2-1) is another top contender with five wins and $171,323 on his card in 2026 and the field is rounded out by 12 time winner Hazardos (Rick Magee, 10-1) and 17-time winner War Machine (Mooney Svendsen, 12-1)

2026 Dan Patch FFA final facts:

• Alta Revelry N has the fastest career record in the field with a mark of 1:48 taken in 2025 and Muskateer Hanover is the richest horse in the field with more than $945,000 on his card.
• Jenson has won the Dan Patch FFA final in both of the last two years, with Dale Yeah in 2025 and Muskateer Hanover in 2024.
• The stakes record for the Dan Patch FFA final is 1:49.2, set in 2024.
• Jenson is the only driver in the field who has previously won the Dan Patch FFA final.

The undercard on Sunday also features the Minnesota-sired sophomore trotters going for $35,000 USD across two divisions. The Dan Patch night festivities will include 'Pepsi Family Night' specials and activities, food trucks, trout fishing, a Dan Patch puzzle giveaway, a handicapping contest, and much more. 

(with files from Running Aces)