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'Only Choice' remains undefeated at Running Aces |
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Wednesday, 14 May 2008 |
Columbus, Minn. —
Although he’s only won once by more than a half-length, Only Choice won for the fifth consecutive start since moving to Running Aces Harness Park from Chicago in early April.
Monday night the eight-year-old roan gelding just held off track record holder Tattler’s Jet in the weekly $4000 Class A featured pace, timed in 1:55.3 — exactly a second off the local standard set by this week’s runnerup just seven days earlier.
Owned by William and Gerald McIntyre of Wisconsin, Only Choice was reined and trained by Duane Miller. For Miller, it was the 18th victory from his stable in five weeks of racing, as he has pulled ahead in the trainer standings, which have been highly competitive at the new Minnesota track. Ten other conditioners have at least eight wins and sport UTRS averages of .268 or better.
Jesse DeLong is the current runnerup in the trainer standings with a dozen wins, followed by Justin Anfinson and Rick Mapes with 11. Next in line is Mitch Banks with 10 tallies, while four trainers have nine trips to the win circle — Brian Detgen, Jenni King, Rick Magee and Gene Miller. Evan Coblentz and Gerald Longo have notched eight victories apiece to round out the current leaderboard.
On the driver’s side, 19-year-old John DeLong and 24-year-old Joey Mapes, the sons of two of the top aforementioned trainers, are deadlocked atop the standings with 18 wins each. They are followed closely by Duane Miller, who has 17.
Four others have reached double digits in the win column: Rick Magee with 14, Adam Hauser 11, J.D. Perrin and Nick Roland have 10 apiece. Rounding out the top ten are Evan Coblentz, Brian Detgen and Jenni King, all with nine.
Both the Friday and Monday night programs last week produced a complete slate of 2:00 miles or better. 
On Friday night, the slowest winner crossed the wire in 1:59.2 as the Minnesota weather and trackman John Betts and his crew continue to hone the Running Aces five-eighths mile oval into one that virtually all the participants are calling “the best track we’ve ever raced on.”
Fastest mile of the night went to Saltea’s Sanjay (DeLong), who copped a Class B-1 pace in 1:56.4. Other Friday night speedsters were Cinder Lane Brett (Roland) who captured a C-1 pace in 1:57.4 and Mr. Maxwell (Detgen) who dominated a $2,000 claiming race in the same time.
Saturday night featured fillies and mares races as Filly Finale (Longo), who has chased the top mares over the past month, finally beat them all in 2:00.4 over a rain-soaked surface. Charm N Fun (Duane Miller) nosed out Just Kidding You (Magee) in the B class, while Golightyourworld (DeLong) was best in the C-1 event.
Trotters took center stage during the Sunday matinee before another huge “Family Day” throng. Final Scorpion (Duane Miller) upset heavily-favored Photo Dream (Hauser) in 1:59.4 to notch his first local win in the $4000 Class A race. Rompaway Ulaine managed a come-from-behind win for trainer-driver Gene Miller in the B class, while Aura Lee Triumph (Duane Miller) went an impressive 2:00.4 gate-to-wire mile in the C trot.
The fans thoroughly enjoyed the matinee races, but the highlight of their day may have been a pair of exhibition miniature horse races. Presented by the Sansevere family, four miniatures under 36” tall — two of them national champions — delighted the Mother’s Day crowd with a three-eighths of a mile race timed in 2:16.2.
In addition to Only Choice’s impressive Class A win on Monday, a pair of races for Minnesota-sired horses only went postward for the second time.
Daria’s LaBamba (DeLong) captured the $3000 Class A Gopher State pace with a front-stepping 1:58.2 performance, besting Whata Santana (Jim Molitor) and Whata Blue Boy (Magee). Whata Blue Boy had won the initial state-restricted race earlier in the week.
In a $2000 Class B Gopher State event the winner was Dandy Di (Bob Lems) who edged stablemate Whirling Sam (Ryan Lems) in 2:00 flat. Dandy Di had been the runnerup to Art Exposed (Duane Miller) in the first Minnesota-sired B race four days earlier.
Beginning this Sunday afternoon, May 18, patrons will be eligible to win drawings for a ride between races around the Running Aces track on a two-seater jog cart with a licensed driver.
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