Threestepstoheaven, the longest shot on the board, captured the $8,500 Open Pace at Running Aces on Sunday night.
The eight-year-old Rambaran gelding, trained and driven by the meet's second leading reinsman, Jason Ryan, bested Canadian Touch (driven by Steve Wiseman) and Restless Yankee (Nick Roland) in 1:52.2. Threestepstoheaven was last in the field of six until the top of the stretch when he swung four-wide and passed the others with a :28.3 final panel.
The quickest mile of the evening, however, belonged to Del Rio Seelster, who won a $7,500 race mixing non-winners of $5,000 last five starts with $12,500 claimers in 1:52.1. With leading driver Tim Maier guiding his son Daniel's six-year-old son of Western Maverick, the pair downed R Gauwitz Hanover (Kim Pluta) and Mystical Valentine (Ryan) with a brush from fourth to first in the third panel and a closing :27.3 panel to seal the deal.
Maier visited the winner's circle four times on Sunday while Ryan managed three triumphs and Nick Roland scored a double.
A pair of $6,500 Minnesota-sired races for trotters were also featured. Chewy Dunkerton (Roland) won the colts and geldings split with a 2:01.2 clocking to beat TURB (Ryan) and Al Mar Passion (Rick Magee). The fillies’ division was captured by Al Mar Pizzazz (Maier) over Majestic Lady Jo (Brett Ballinger) and Montana Eclipse (Lemoyne Svendsen) in 1:59.3. Benjamin DeLong owns Chewy Dunkerton and the partnership of Ulf Holm-Johansen and Vernon Devine own Al-Mar Pizzazz.
(Running Aces)