The track was lightning fast and the action was exciting at Running Aces on Tuesday night, June 9 and Cash Money Twenty posted another big performance in the $20,833 Open Handicap Pace for his third win in a row.
The talented four-year-old son of Stevensville-Hostess Lisa and his driver, Casey Leonard, wasted no time getting involved as they powered away from the gate from post five to take on Speaking Volumes (Rick Magee), who was the fastest off the mark. Those two traded blows during the :26.4 opening stanza with Cash Money Twenty clearing to the lead well before the three-eighths marker.
Alta Revelry N (Nick Roland) got away in third and tracked the leaders intently through the middle stages, clocked in in :54.4 and 1:22.4, with Chevron Art (Josiah Miller) trying a first-over bid down the backside.
There was never an anxious moment for 1-5 favourite Cash Money Twenty, who continued to pace strong during the final eighth of a mile and opened up in the final strides for a 2-3/4-length tally in 1:50.3 with Speaking Volumes clearly second best and Tankalicious (Luke Plano) rallying late to pick up third.
Cash Money Twenty is trained by Brett Ballinger and owned by Heart & Soul Racing of Des Moines, Iowa. He now has 23 career wins from just 30 starts with earnings of $428,721.
War Machine, a five-year-old Sweet Lou-Bolt Of Thunder gelding, captured a $15,278 conditioned event on the program with a sharp gate-to-wire score in 1:52.3 over Racing Ripper (Nick Roland) and No Lou Zing (Brady Jenson). He is also trained by Ballinger and owned by Heart & Soul Racing, in partnership with Jim Ballinger of Atwater, Illinois. Mooney Svendsen drove the pacer to his second win in a row.
Drivers Casey Leonard and Nick Roland led the program with three wins each while Leonard, Ballinger and Brady Jenson all had training doubles.
Live harness racing returns to Running Aces on Thursday, June 11 with a nine-race program that will feature the $15,000 USD Mares Open Handicap Pace as well as the $12,500 USD Burning Blaze Pacing Series final. On the wagering side, there is a carryover of $12,147.07 in the Pick-5 Jackpot, which will get underway in race five. Post time is set for 6 p.m. (CDT).
(With files from Running Aces)