The $13,000 Minnesota-Sired 3 year old pacing event was the feature on the Saturday evening harness racing card at Running Aces with 8 sophomores going to battle, and it proved to be a sparkling performance by Whatitdo Babyboo ($7.40) who reminded local fans of her tremendous late speed by sweeping the field from last to first once again, taking a new life mark (1:53.4) in the process.
Driver Steve Wiseman guided her away from the gate to the fifth position of 8 early and was then shuffled to last as they sat through the early fractions of 27.3 and 57.1, and was still last but beginning to make her move at the ¾ pole where the timer read 1:24.4. Whatitdo BabyBoo and Wiseman charged right through the middle of the field and sprinted to the wire with a breathtaking rally that left her rivals reeling. She posted a 1½ length winning margin in a sparkling 1:53.4 for her 10th lifetime win in 16 starts. David Flinn trains the daughter of Voracious Hanover for Owners Van Oterloo stables.
It was a night of upsets, with only 1 winning favorite on the card. The biggest upset came with CW Raisinette ($54.00) in the featured trotting event, a $6,400 contest where Driver Steve Wiseman converted a three-hole trip into a 26-1 shocker as the longest shot in the field posted her 4th lifetime win in a new mark of 1:58.2 for Owners A Piece of The Action and Trainer Kathie Plested-Wiseman. It was the first win on the card in a very big night for Wiseman, who posted a Grand Slam of four winners on the 8 race program.
22 year old Trainer/Driver Brady Jenson posted his first ever Driving Double on a Pari-Mutuel program when he guided two of his own trainees to victory on Saturday, both at long odds. First, he made a sharp sweeping move with his 3 year old gelding pacer MarkTenTwentySeven ($18.00) to circle the field down the back side and make it two in a row with a new life mark of 1:56.2 in a $4,400 conditioned event, and then later he guided his 4 year old trotting mare Hall Of Riches ($40.60) to her first lifetime win in 2:00.3 with a brilliant drive splitting rivals turning for home and getting up at the wire by a neck. Both horses are owned by the Jenson family.
Also on the Saturday card was a very nice $4,000 conditioned pace for horses and geldings, and Lil Orphan Elmer ($7.40) was the star of the show in that affair. Sent off as the 5/2 second choice, Elmer was floated off the gate in fifth position early in a moderate early pace of 28.3, driver Steve Wiseman got him moving first-over just past the half (58.1), and he really took off, opening up an eye opening lead around the final turn (1:25.4) and pacing on gamely in the stretch to post a 2¾ length tally in 1:54. Lil Orphan Elmer is owned by Scott Ehrlich and George Mc Chrystal and trained by Kathie Plested-Wiseman.
Running Aces is back in action on Sunday, July 23, with a first race post of 6:00 pm CDT.
By Darin Gagne, Running Aces Track Announcer