Driver Steve Wiseman made headlines from Running Aces last week when he made his return to the sulky in a couple of qualifying races after undergoing chemotherapy treatments over the last several months. He last drove in harness races in early February at Cal Expo before getting a very serious stage 4 cancer diagnosis.
Wiseman immediately vowed that he would fight as hard as he possibly could, and do whatever it takes to beat the disease. He has undergone aggressive treatments since the diagnosis, and in fact just returned from a three day trip home to Sacramento for another round of chemo. He got back to Minnesota on Friday night and drove Greekona to a fifth place finish on Sunday.
He stepped up his workload for the Tuesday afternoon (June 23) program and steered Pedigree Blue Chip to a solid second place finish in race two on the day. Two races later in the fourth – he piloted Queenace Blue Chip to a very good second – beaten only a half length as the race favorite. Later on in the card he guided 9-1 longshot Platinum Time to a fifth while beaten less than 3 lengths.
Just two races after that "The Magician" made the magic happen. Wiseman sent 28-1 longshot Timetplaythegame right to the front from post 8 and wired the field with a sharp looking 3 length score in 1:54.4 in race ten. It was the third win of the year for Timetplaythegame ($58.80), a 7 year old gelded son of Badlands Hanover, owned and trained by his wife, Kathie Plested, and also owned by Mark Benvenga. Wiseman was greeted by cheers and applause on his ride back to the winner's circle, and when he pulled off of the track and into the paddock area, he encountered an emotional embrace by good friend and fellow reinsman Lemoyne "Moonie" Svendsen. Hearts and emotions soared high today after race ten at Running Aces.
The final tally for the Magician was 4 races, 1 win, 2 seconds and a fifth. Not too shabby at all for any driver, but a spectacular day for a guy that is dealing with the drain and side effects of chemotherapy treatments. He is a beast, he is committed to doing whatever it takes, he is #WisemanStrong and he is indeed the resident "Magician" at Running Aces. Doctors report that he is responding remarkably to the treatments, and has seen a drastic reduction in tumors at each scan. The #WisemanStrong community continues to pray for his full recovery, and marvel at each and every small miracle in his journey. Steve is one of the good guys, and today was a good day for a very good guy.
By Darin Gagné
for Running Aces Casino Hotel & Racetrack