Zanetti made it two wins in a row at the Cannon Falls, Minnesota fairgrounds on Saturday, May 11, posting a dominating gate-to-wire performance in the Free-For-All Pace as Minnesota Harness Racing Inc. hosted another day of tune-up opportunities for the upcoming Running Aces season.
Driven by Adam Hauser, the eight-year-old A Rocknroll Dance gelding had no trouble getting the lead off the car and was well in control of the $1,370 contest through early fractions of :29.1 and 1:00.1 before What Ya Thinkin (Brian Detgen) vacated the pocket and went after the leader near the three-quarters mark (1:29.4). Zanetti responded by kicking it into high gear as they rounded into the homestretch and ultimately drawing clear of his rivals by five lengths at the finish. Stablemate SB Bodacious (Rick Magee) picked up the pieces late for second money, getting up over What Ya Thinkin right at the wire. Zanetti's mile time of 1:58 and final quarter clocking of :28.1 were both the fastest of the day. The top two finishers are both owned by Rick Magee and trained by Mikaela Del Giudice.
Bringoverthemoney also posted another sharp win for two in a row with his own gate-to-wire tally by three lengths in the $1,370 Free-For-All Trot in 2:02. Dean Magee was the winning driver behind the nine-year-old Money Talks gelding for owner Joshua Horvat and trainer Katie Horvat. Al Mar Richs Jetta (Brandon Jenson) was second best and SD Eliminator (Detgen) was home third.
Lovely Normajean made the most of her first career start with a sharp closing effort and half-length victory in 2:05.1 in the sophomore filly pace. Trainer/driver Hauser was content to settle away in third in the early stages before activating Lovely Normajean on the far turn and advancing past the leaders in the homestretch to capture the win. She Will Rock You (Kim Pluta) and Lizzies Cache (Rick Magee) completed the order of finish. The winning daughter of Fancy Schmancy is owned by her breeder, Cara Hauser.
The other winners on the card included Moon Kid Photo (James Gould, 2:00.4) in the sophomore colt pace, Adeline Rose (Rick Magee, 2:11.1) in the sophomore 'Class B' trot, Polar Ice (Rick Magee, 2:06.2) in the sophomore filly pace, Vanishing Trix (Rick Magee, 2:08.1) in the sophomore 'Class A' trot and Wisco Incredible (Hauser, 2:03.4) in the sophomore colt pace.
Trainer Justin Anfinson led the day with four wins while drivers Adam Hauser and Rick Magee both registered triples.
Running Aces will host another round of pre-season qualifiers on Tuesday, May 14 at 12 p.m. (CDT).
Opening Night for the 2024 Aces season is Sunday, May 19 with first post at 6 p.m. (CDT).
(With files from Running Aces)