Running Aces is ready for a big weekend of harness racing to close out its 2025 season.
It will begin with a 10-race program on Friday, Sept. 19 that will be highlighted by three $25,000 USD Open Handicap events, including one for pacing mares, one for open pacers, and one for trotters. The trot will be contested at a special distance of a mile and a quarter.
There will also be four $15,000 USD Minnesota-sired Consolation races on Friday as well as a special retirement race for 14-year-old pacer Robbie Burns N, who is a classy war horse and just notched his 50th career win earlier this month. He will make his final career start on Friday and will be going to a new forever home with a local veterinarian that works on the Running Aces backstretch.
Hezzz A Wise Sky is the 5-2 morning-line favourite in the Open Handicap Pace. He is veteran who recently scored his 61st career win at the age of eight. He is tabbed at 5-2 from post eight with driver Dean Magee piloting for trainer John Filomeno.
Escaper, who earned his eighth local win and 11th overall of the season last week, is the 5-2 morning-line choice from post nine in the Open Handicap Trot. He will have regular pilot Billy Mann in the bike for trainer Maria Alvarez.
Saturday's program will consist of twelve $65,000 USD Championship races in each division of the Minnesota-sired program.
The headliners for this year's Night of Champions card are led by Bringoverthemoney, a 2025 Minnesota Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He is the richest Minnesota trotter to date and has won the aged trotting championship race the last five years in a row. He is the 5-2 morning-line favourite from post five. Dean Magee will pilot the 10-year-old son of Money Talks-Bringitover for trainer/breeder Katie Horvat and owner Joshua Horvat.
Peanutbutterfalcon is the 3-5 morning-line choice in the sophomore colt trot division from post four with regular pilot Rick Magee booked to drive for owner/breeder Jeri Roland and trainer Dan Roland. He will try to expand on his current nine-race win streak and become a repeat champion after taking the trophy last season as a freshman. With a victory on Saturday night, Peanutbutterfalcon would advance his 2025 summary to 12 wins from 13 starts and would also establish a new state record for seasonal earnings in the Minnesota program. The son of Quality Kemp-Lindys On Fire currently boasts $142,558 in purses for the season.
Miss May Bell is installed as the 4-5 morning-line choice from post five in the sophomore filly pace division after winning seven of nine outings this season while twice pacing in 1:54.4. Brady Jenson will steer Miss May Bell, a daughter of Karpathian Kid-Eternitys Delight, for owner/breeder Merlin Van Oterloo and trainer Brett Ballinger.
In addition to Bringoverthemoney and Peanutbutterfalcon, there are six other horses that were victorious on Night of Champions last year and will try to repeat on Saturday night. They are Wilamar Spark (PP4, Rick Magee, 7-5) in the aged mare trot, Skoochs Valentine (PP9, Mooney Svendsen, 8-1) in the sophomore filly pace, Swinging On By (PP9, Dean Magee, 3-1) in the three-year-old colt pace, Shs Southern Pride (PP5, Rick Magee, 3-1) in the three-year-old filly trot, and Deja Vu Babyboo (PP3, Rick Magee, 5-2) and Fillister Photo (PP5, Mann, 5-1) in the final for aged pacing mares.
Brady Jenson, who won his first career meet titles last season as both the leading driver and leading trainer, appears poised to repeat in both categories again this year. He has a seven-win lead over Rick Magee in the drivers' standings and leads by six tallies over Maria Alvarez on the trainers' leaderboard going into the final weekend.
The Saturday night program will also be highlighted by promotional coverage from special guest and harness racing social media icon Heather Vitale, as well as live bugle calls from guest bugler Ken Walker.
The races on both Friday and Saturday night are named for equine and human members of the Minnesota Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
Post time is 6 p.m. (CDT) for both Friday and Saturday. The 20-cent Pick-5, 50-cent Late Pick-4 and Pick-3, and the late 50-cent Hi-5 wagers will all be subject to mandatory payouts on Saturday night.
(Running Aces; photo of Bringoverthemoney winning his championship on Sept. 21, 2024)