The trotters and pacers will go to the gate for the 2026 season opener at Running Aces on Sunday, May 17 at 6 p.m. (CDT). The kickoff program will mark the start of the 19th racing season at the Minnesota five-eighths mile oval.
Nine competitive races await racing fans and the card will be headlined by the $15,000 USD Open Trot in the sixth race where five-year-old gelding Escaper has been installed as the 7-5 morning line choice. The talented son of Muscle Hill made eight trips to the Running Aces winner's circle last summer and also captured the 2025 Steve Wiseman Memorial trophy, en-route to a $227,119 season.
Rick Magee, who posted a career best year in 2025 with more than $1.3 million in purse earnings, will pilot the top choice for trainer Harold Herrera and the Maria Alvarez stable. Escaper shows one win and one third-place finish in his last three starts and appears in good recent form; in fact, he crossed the wire first in his most recent outing at Yonkers on May 1 but was placed back due to interference.
Escaper has some formidable company to deal with in the opening night feature, including 3-1 second pick Chapolier, who will make his local debut for owner/trainer/driver Luke Plano. Chapolier has one win in four outings so far in 2026 but spent many weeks as one of the winningest horses in the sport in 2025 with 15 trips to victory lane. He appears in good recent form as well but comes in off of a scratched sick line on April 24. If he is back to his best, he demands respect.
Minnesota's 2023 Horse of the Year, Iron Sharpens Iron drew the pole position and will make his six-year-old season debut with Scott Cisco in the bike for trainer Dan Roland. The sharp son of the late, great Banker Volo posted a very good campaign last year with five wins including a Night of Champions trophy. He was an impressive winner in a May 12 qualifier, and is 7-2 on the morning line.
The current richest Minnesota-sired trotter, Bringoverthemoney is also in this wide-open field and has kicked off his 11-year-old campaign with two wins over the local county fair track. The gritty son of Money Talks boasts more than $543,000 in career earnings and has 51 wins to his credit. He is a definite contender in this group and is listed at 4-1 with Dean Magee as driver for trainer Katie Horvat.
BPs Lucky Star rounds out the feature race field and is no slouch himself. He is a current Aces track record holder and will begin his six-year-old stand on Sunday with Mooney Svensden at the lines, listed at 9-2 on the morning line. Last season he picked up four wins from 13 starts while banking a respectable $55,140 for trainer Rick Huffman. He was a solid second in his May 12 qualifier as well.
Running Aces Live Racing Details:
The exotic wagering at Running Aces includes 50-cent Trifectas, $1 Exactas and 10-cent Superfectas each race while the Daily Double, Pick-3 and Pick-4 wagers offer a 50-cent base per combination.
In partnership with the USTA's Strategic Wagering Program the Late Pick-4 wager is guaranteed at $3,000 each night and free TrackMaster past performance pages can be found on the USTA website in the Handicapping portal. The Running Aces Pick-4 also offers carryover potential. If nobody correctly selects the exact winning Pick-4 combination, 75 per cent of the pool will carry over to the next available Pick-4 offered.
The industry unique Place Pick-All will once again be offered at Running Aces. For just 20 cents per combination, horseplayers can get involved in a lot of races with this fun wager. Pick horses in each race that will finish first or second. The pool is paid out every night to the players with the most correct selections.
The popular 20-cent Pick-5 Jackpot is back as well and covers the last five races each night. A single unique winning ticket takes down the Jackpot. If there are multiple winners they will share in 50 per cent of the nightly pool and 50 per cent will go into the Jackpot which will build until there is a single ticket winner. Once there is a Jackpot winner, the process starts again on the next racing night.
Fifty-cent Pentafecta wagering is offered twice each night at Running Aces: in the fourth race and in the final race. This bet offers the potential for big carryovers and big payouts. Correctly pick the exact top five horses to win. If nobody has the exact combination then the entire pool carries over to the next Pentafecta race.
In addition to being offered at hundreds of other racetracks, ADW's and simulcasting centre, the Running Aces live stream and HD race replays are also available on YouTube. Running Aces offers action on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights and the 2026 season runs through Sept. 19.
(with files from Running Aces)