Due to intense rain causing safety concerns, Running Aces cancelled the remainder of its card following the fourth race on Sunday, July 28.
The $50,000 USD Dan Patch Free For All Pace was slated as the eighth race on the card and has been rescheduled for next Sunday, Aug. 4. By rule, the race has been added to the condition sheet for the Aug. 4 program, which will be drawn on Wednesday morning, July 31. The box closes at 9 a.m. (CDT) on Wednesday and the draw results/overnight sheet will be published on or before 1 p.m. (CDT).
Post time on Sunday night will be 6 p.m. (CDT). The Dan Patch FFA race will once again be carded as race eight of a 12-race program.
The $23,611 Minnesota-sired sophomore male trot led off the abbreviated program before the inclement weather rolled in with DP Freedoms Chrome ($2.10) and driver James Gould winning the event by 3-1/4 lengths.
Gould wasted no time in sending the star son of For You Almostfree out to pursue the front of the affair from the outside post in the eight-horse field, and they had to work a bit to clear Wherever Rio Goes (Sean Smithpeters) and establish command just past the :28.1 quarter. Once on top, DP Freedoms Chrome led comfortably while Wherever Rio Goes tracked in the pocket and Bankers Quest (Mooney Svendsen) travelled in third as the fractions remained solid (:56.4 and 1:25.4). In the homestretch, DP Freedoms Chrome easily kept to his task and drew clear impressively to record his 16th win from 17 career starts, stopping the timer in 1:56.1 for a new lifetime record, while Wherever Rio Goes was a clear second and Last Of Braggert (Jacob Cutting) checked in third.
The 21-year-old Gould, who is one of the youngest drivers currently competing at Running Aces, recorded his 100th driving victory.
Gould wasted no time in getting started on his next 100 wins, picking up win number 101 two races later with American Cross ($4.20), a filly by Ice Machine in a career-best 2:00.4 mile to take the sophomore ‘B’ trot.
Both winners are owned by Aimes Racing and trained by Elvin Zimmerman.
Racing is slated to resume at Running Aces on Tuesday, July 30 for a nine-race program, which gets underway with first post at 7 p.m. (CDT).
(Standardbred Canada & Running Aces; photo of DP Freedoms Chrome winning on July 28)