Driver/trainer Craig Banks put Silence Son on the engine in Wednesday night's $9,000 Open Trot at Running Aces and the strategy worked great as owner Hinshaw Homestead Farms' stalwart wired the field in 1:55.3.
In the process he became the fastest four-year-old gelding and etched his name in the local record books for the second time. About a year ago, Silence Son set the three-year-old gelding track record in 1:56.3 with Banks aboard.
It was just the ninth seasonal start for the winner and second win, first in Open company. Sent off at 6-1 odds, Silence Son beat Franky Provolone (Steve Wiseman) and Shelby County (Rocky Stidham).
Earlier in the program, Flick A Fly (Rick Magee) pulled a mild upset in an $8,000 two-year-old Minnesota-sired Class A event. It was the fourth straight victory for the filly owned by the Van Otterloo Stables and trained by David Flinn. She just nosed out Delco Voracious, who had won a $29,600 Hanover Stake in Chicago for the trainer-driver combination of father Jesse De Long and son John De Long, in 1:56.2. Cyber Cowboy (Tim Maier) rounded out the trifecta for owner Margaret Epp.
The $5,500 Class B two-year-old race was captured by Wounded Warrior (Ryan Lems), who romped by open lengths in 1:58.4 over Ksmewithurizclosed (Magee) and Im A Tinker Too (James Yoder). The colt is owned by Mark Mintun.
All Minnesota-sired horses are anticipating the State Championship program on August 31, which will feature 11 state-bred races for $20,000 each on the season's closing night.
(Running Aces)