Running Aces is getting set to open its 19th season of live harness racing on Sunday, May 17 and racing fans and horseplayers will be treated to a familiar name in the industry who will join the racing analyst team at the Minnesota oval.
Frank Drucker, who is well known in the sport of harness racing for his 25 years as the on-air personality at New York's famed Yonkers Raceway, will join track announcer Darin Gagne and track handicapper Steve Lake to help provide fans with insight into the nightly racing action with handicapping selections.
Running Aces will be taking the concept of the 'Tip Sheet' to a new level, offering Frank Drucker's nightly selections in the form of a tip sheet available at the track program stands for free. Drucker's selections will also be displayed on the racing broadcast before each race.
Drucker started going to the racetrack with his parents at the age of 12 and fell in love with the game; one of his first jobs was covering horse racing as a copy editor and writer for the New York Post. He worked on a TV program covering the summer and fall stakes races at Yonkers in the mid 1990's and eventually became the on-air personality and racing analyst for the historic hilltop oval and remained in that position until the COVID pandemic. Since 2020 Frank has been keeping busy with freelance work.
Drucker's handicapping approach leans heavily toward trying to find value and beat the expected post time favourites and says the following of this strategy: "the goal is to catch three to four value priced winners a night that more than cover the ones we miss."
Running Aces will once again offer 50-cent Trifectas, $1 exactas and 10-cent Superfectas each race, while the multi-race offerings will include 50-cent Pick-3 and Pick-4 wagers, a 50-cent late Daily Double, an industry unique 20-cent Place Pick-All and a nightly 20-cent Jackpot Pick-5.
As part of the USTA's Strategic Wagering Program, Running Aces will again be offering a $3,000 guarantee for the 50-cent late 'Pick-4' wager each racing night, and as part of that program, free Trackmaster past performance pages will once again be available on the USTA website.
(with files from Running Aces)