The elimination races for the 2019 Dan Patch FFA Pace will headline a solid card of harness racing this coming Sunday (July 14) at Running Aces.
Fourteen pacers have been divided into a pair of $15,000 eliminations. The top five horses in each elimination heat will advance to the $50,000 final, which will be raced on Sunday, July 21.
The first elimination will feature 6-5 morning line favourite Fox Valley Gemini (to be driven by Steve Wiseman), who has drawn the rail. He will arrive in Minnesota off the strength of six-race win streak at Chicago's Hawthorne Racecourse. He lowered his career mark to 1:50.1 in his last race. Three starts ago (on June 7), Fox Valley Gemini paced a final quarter in :25.1 to sweep the field and win handily.
Rockin Speed (Travis Seekman) has been installed as the second choice on the morning line (7-5) and will start from Post 2. He will ship to Running Aces from Indiana, where he just posted a career best win in 1:49.1 at Hoosier Park on June 21. During the month of May, Rockin Speed campaigned in Canada, where he finished fourth in the Confederation Cup and second in the Camluck Classic.
Local speedster Urgointohearmeroar (Lemoyne Svendsen) is the 3-1 third morning line selection in elimination one (Race 9) and is currently riding a four-race win streak at Running Aces. Urgointohearmeroar equalled the track's fastest mile ever (1:50.4) on June 29. The four-year-old Mystery Chase gelding has won 16 of his 20 career races and will start from Post 3.
The lone mare in this year's group is Juslikeaqueen (Dean Magee), who has reigned supreme at Running Aces since her arrival from Pennsylvania in late June. She has dominated the Mares Open Pace for three consecutive weeks. Most recently, she posted a dazzling 1:51.1 win (on Tuesday, July 9) and just missed a track record by one-fifth of a second in the contest, despite an off track (good, -1). She has been installed as a 4-1 shot on the morning line and will start from Post 4.
The final three horses in the first elimination heat are: (in post position order) (5) Annihilator (Don Harmon) 10-1, (6) Major Legacy (Nick Roland) 20-1, and (7) Top Notch (Rick Magee) 8-1.
Elimination two (Race 10) includes the two horses that have previously won Running Aces’ Dan Patch FFA Pace. The first of the aforementioned winners is the 2017 victor (and 2018 runner up), Firedrake (Nick Roland), who is 9-2 on the morning line from Post 2. Firedrake has recorded two wins in his last four starts. The second of the previous winners is the 2018 victor, Nine Ways (Dean Magee), the even-money favourite on the morning line that will be looking to extend his three-race win streak. Nine Ways has dominated the track’s horses and geldings open ranks since arriving in Minnesota in late June. Nine Ways has drawn Post 5.
Bettors Promise (Lemoyne Svendsen) rounds out the second elim’s top three early favourites at 7-2 from Post 7. He was the winner of the $20,000 North Metro Pace at Running Aces on June 16.
Completing the field for the second elimination are, in post position order, (1) Better Watch Out (Don Harmon) 12-1, (3) Ideal Ace (Stephen White) 6-1, SF Donttellonme (Rick Magee) 10-1, and To The Limit (Steve Wiseman) 8-1.
Post time for Sunday's program will be at 6:00 p.m. (CDT).
(With files from Running Aces)