By Mike Paradise

Double Parked and A Girl Named Jim, strong winners in their respective opening legs of the Incredible Tillie for ICF pacing fillies, will have to wait for another night to tangle for the first time.

They drew into different $22,225 divisions of tonight’s Violet stakes for Illinois bred freshman gals. Both fillies are listed as heavy 4 to 5 program favorites in their corresponding events but let’s not forget they’re just 2-year-olds without much racing experience.

A Girl Named Jim, driven by her trainer Jamaica Patton, is in the tougher of the two Violet events. The daughter of Sportsmaster cruised in her Incredible Tillie field with a 1:56.2 debut for Illinois owners Ron Phillips (Athens) and Louis Leinberger (Springfield).

The two-year-old ICF filly A Girl Named Jim, trained and driven by Jamaica Patton, goes after her second consecutive ICF stakes victory in a $22,225 division of tonight’s Violet. (Four Footed Fotos)

Fox Valley Vixen was a fast closing runner-up to Double Parked last week, pacing a 27.2 last quarter. Illinois perineal leading driver Casey Leonard chose to drive Fox Valley Vixen over Sleazy Gal. Another Sportsmaster filly, “Vixen” did rattle off a quick 26.4 last panel in her June 7th qualifier and obviously was hindered in the Incredible Tillie when A Girl Named Jim wasn’t seriously challenged while on the lead.

If you put a lot of stock in breeding when you handicap 2-year-old races, then Sleazy Gal (Kyle Wilfong), owned and bred by the Marty Engel Stable of Northbrook, Illinois should get your attention.

The homebred Sagebrush filly is out of the very successful ICF dam Sleazy One, making her a full sister to Sleazy Does It ($317,916) and Thesleazyprincess (302,287), both past Illinois 2-Year-Old Filly Pacers of the Year for Engel.

Looking to pull off a surprise victory in the fourth race second Violet split are Sign Her Up (Cordarius Stewart), Mollie Hotspur (Juan Franco) and Locked On It (Travis Seekman).

Double Parked, owned by her Tennessee trainer Leroy Hunt, has been bet down to odds of 3 to 10 in both of her first two starts, pacing last week in 1:56 flat after being hand driven in the Incredible Tillie when she draw off by almost a dozen lengths.

Another daughter of Sagebrush, Double Parked will try to hold off Guru Vee Girl (Kyle Wilfong), Ashlee’s Fine Girl (Luke Plano), Fox Valley Exploit (Kyle Husted), Good Gaud Gerty (Gary Rath), Castielle (Robert Smolin) and Jimmy’s Girl (Jamaica Patton) in the first Violet (race three) split.

New Gal in Town: Tonight’s Open pace for fillies and mares came up big in both numbers (nine) and quality. Coming in from Hoosier Park and assigned with the outside nine-slot if JD’S Chancey Gal, owned by his Ohio trainer Pasko Vucinaj). Tyler Shehan got the catch-drive behind the 5-year-old mare who has gone to the gate 12 times this year in either Ohio or Indiana Opens and came out on top on three occasions.

Winner of 3 of her last 4 outings, Hosea Williams’ Rollin Coal (Juan Franco) guns for back-to-back wins in the Open Pace division for fillies and mares tonight. (Four Footed Fotos)

The first six slots in the sixth race $12.000 event went to Unbroken Circle (Travis Seekman), Savanah Georgia (Robert Smolin), Boogie On Down (Kyle Wilfong), Fox Valley Jazzy (Ridge Warren), Jetting Around (Kyle Husted) and Char N Marg (Casey Leonard) in that order

No Help Needed: Not that Illinois’ No. 1 Standardbred needed any assistance but things could not have gone any better for Fox Valley Gemini and his driver Casey Leonard last night in the first of a pair of $12,000 Open’s.

Once again dropping in last from his assigned 10-hole in a five-horse field, Casey watched three different pacers have command by the half-mile pole.

First Royale Rose took the field to 28.1 first quarter, and then He Gone Jack come out of the pocket and grabbed a brief lead before Rising To The Top powered by and took over at the half, reached in a rapid 54.3.

Casey patiently waited with the overwhelming 1 to 9 favorite, tipped the pride of the Terry Leonard stable out in the last turn, and Fox Valley Gemini gobbled up about six lengths in the lane and pulled away to a 1:50.1 victory, a new lifetime mark.

That’s six consecutive Open victories for “Gemini” and 26 wins in 27 starts thus far at Hawthorne for Atwater, Illinois owner Jim Ballinger.

Rising To The Top was second, beaten two lengths and He Gone Jack finished third, another three lengths behind.

Cardinal Outcomes: One race later Casey was back in the winner’s circle with another Jim Ballinger own, Terry Leonard trained pacer as Canadian Mountie captured the first $21,825 Cardinal stake for 2-year-old ICF pacers.

Canadian Mountie ($3.60) brushed to the lead right before the half (:58.1) and went on to a 1 and 1/2 length triumph over Hello Rooster (Kyle Wilfong) with a 1:57.1 clocking.

The Ronnie Roberts trained RJ Wulfy ($3.80) easily made it 3-for-3 to start his racing career with an impressive 1:55.2 best mile time in the second Cardinal division with Ryan Anderson in the bike. The 50-1 longshot Ryans Ambassador (Jim Molitor) was second best, 2 and 1/2 lengths behind

By Mike Paradise

When was the last time you saw a horse on the Chicago circuit win five consecutive Opens or Free For All events and not told to leave town?

I’ve been covering Illinois harness racing for a very long time and I never saw it happen. A dominant horse winning at the track’s highest level is usually given the heave-ho by a Chicago circuit race secretary after three in a row, maybe four straight at the longest.

Nevertheless, Fox Valley Gemini, the most popular pacer in our state with back-to-back Illinois Harness of the Year honors, will go after a sixth consecutive victory tonight for trainer Terry Leonard and owner Jim Ballinger of Atwater, Illinois.

Here’s a familiar sight from a week ago. It’s Fox Valley Gemini (Casey Leonard), winning at Hawthorne. The much heralded ICF 4-year-old goes after his sixth straight victory in one of two $12,000 Opens tonight. (Four Footed Fotos)

As usual, Casey Leonard will be in race bike behind the now four-year-old star ICF pacer, who has racked up an amazing 25 wins in 26 starts at Hawthorne and the last pair coming from the 10-hole in first a field of five, and last week a seven horse field.

Casey should be used to the 10-slot starting point. It hasn’t mattered a bit to Fox Valley Gemini, he’s been much the best in both “handicapped” outside starts and I’m confident he will be again.

Kudos to Hawthorne’s race secretary Robin Schadt for figuring out yet another way to keep Illinois best horse racing in his home state. Robin did so this time, by offering two $12,000 Open’s.  A draw determined which horses would face Fox Valley Gemini and those competing in another Open for an identical pot although, that one would be “Gemini-less ”.

Coming up with another way to keep a star ICF horse racing at in Illinois “was just the right thing to do,” said Robin. “I know the horse will be leaving soon for an out-of-town stake and then he’ll be back. I wanted to make sure he keeps racing here before he leaves for a few weeks.”

Fox Valley Gemini is headed to Running Aces in Minnesota for its $50,000 Dan Patch championship. Eliminations (or a prep) will be on July 15th with final on the 22nd of July.

Unless it’s for an open company stake, an ICF pacer should never have to leave the state to get raced, and that’s even more imperative nowadays.

The long overdue passage of “Slots at the Tracks” bill is about to be fulfilled once the governor puts his signature on the document. It will finally eliminate Recapture, bring slots and table games to Hawthorne, ensure a huge financial boost is forthcoming for ICF races, and provides for a much needed new Standardbred only racetrack, (ala Racino), in the south suburbs that will most certainly rake-in quite a bit of dough for future purses.

The last thing we want to do is discourage owners from buying ICF yearlings.

Do we want to send the message to prospective owners to go ahead purchase a state bred yearling, race the pacer or trotter here, but don’t let your horse get too good once he or she turns four or it’s persona non grata in Illinois.

Does that make sense?

All horses sooner or later will get sick, or get sore and may go lame. Just like human athletes they don’t stay on top forever, so let’s enjoy them here while they are at the pinnacle of their game.

Is there another sport that boots its best participants off the team or told to leave town for being too good?

I don’t think so.

If Fox Valley Gemini’s connections want to race their horse for about half the money less in their home state than elsewhere in the Midwest, they should be able to do just that and be lauded by those of us in the Illinois harness racing industry.

And the Hawthorne Race Office should be applauded for an innovative way to make it possible to do so.

The Ronnie Roberts trainee R J Wulfy was almost a dozen lengths the best in a first leg of the Incredible Finale with Casey Leonard. Ryan Anderson gets the catch drive tonight for the second division Cardinal stake. (Four Footed Fotos)

Cardinal for Freshman Pacers: A pair of $21,825 divisions of Cardinal stakes for 2-year-old ICF colt and gelding pacers is on Friday night’s 12-race program.

The fourth race first-division, has the Leonard Stable’s Canadian Mountie (pp 5, Casey Leonard), as the 9-5 programmed favorite. The Duneside Perch freshman is owned by Fox Valley Gemini’s proprietor Jim Ballinger.

Canadian Mountie’s six challengers are Scoobie Doobie (Gary Rath), Kbtwo (Juan Franco), Hello Rooster (Kyle Wilfong), Sassy Lil Thing (Cordarius Stewart), L L Gram (Ridge Warren) and Bagman (Travis Seekman).

The seventh race second Cardinal pace pits the first round Incredible Finale stakes series winners Illini Force (at 7-2, Ridge Warren) and RJ Wulfy (at 3-2, Ryan Anderson). The latter paced a quick 1:55.1 winning mile debuting on May 7th.

Other Cardinal hopefuls are the pacers: Shane’s Legacy (Juan Franco), Jetting Ahead (Travis Seekman), Ryan’s Ambassador (James Molitor), Fox Valley Ren (Casey Leonard) and Patton Plus (Dale Plus).

The only first-time starter in the division is the Nelson Willis stable’s Fox Valley Ren. The colt is a half-brother to the very good ICF pacer Fox Valley Jazzy (1:52.1). A son of Sportsmaster, Fox Valley Ren sped to a 27.1 last quarter in his winning 2:01.2 qualifier at Hawthorne.

By Mike Paradise

As most fans of our sport know, stake races are never handicapped. It’s the luck of the draw that always determines post positions. However, sometimes the draw works out where a likely overwhelming favorite, does end up on the outside looking in.

That’s the case Sunday night for the second leg of the Beulah Dygert stake series for ICF sophomore filly trotters.

Louzotic, the star trotter of the Steve Searle stable, will have to buck the outside nine-slot with driver Kyle Husted, in the $12,500 co-feature, when she goes after her fourth consecutive and her third added money event of the season.

The Lou’s Legacy filly, owned by Flacco Family Farms of Alexis, Illinois was the runaway the choice last season for the Illinois Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year honors, after capturing just about every major victory in her seven triumphs while she was hauling in over $96,000.

Trainer Steve Searle, is shown leaving the Hawthorne winner’s circle with his star trotting filly Louzotic. She goes after her fourth straight ICF stakes victory in tonight’s second leg of the Beulah Dygert Memorial. (Four Footed Fotos)

This year the filly has been just as assertive in her recent outings after trainer Searle turned over the lines to Kyle Husted.

Searle also sends out Lou’s Paramour (Ridge Warren in the $12,500 event, the third place finisher in the recent Violet and the runner-up in last week’s $11,995 Downstate Classic on the Carrollton fair track). She didn’t draw much better than her stablemate, acquiring the seven position.

On the other hand, Charles Arthur’s Heidi High (Juan Franco), finally received her due. The New Balance filly obtained the favorable two-slot, after having to leave from the 10 and 9-holes in the Violet and first Beulah Dygert leg and was the bridesmaid both times to Louzotic.

The other 3-year-old filly aspirants in round two of the Beulah Dygert are Skippmylou (Casey Leonard), E L Game On (Kyle Wilfong), Fox Valley Elicit (Jamaica Patton), Joe Joe’s Violet (Brandon Bates), Westbound Lou (Nick Prather) and Puddin Cheeks (Jared Finn).

Searle’s hopeful in the second of two $12,500 divisions of the Erwin Dygert Memorial stake didn’t fare well with the draw either. The stable’s My Dreamweaver has the outside six-slot in the tougher of the colt and gelding trot divisions.

Inside of My Dreamweaver are Trixie’s Turbo (pp 2, Tyler Shehan) and Lousraptor (pp 4, Casey Leonard), each a winner of the their recent Cardinal divisions and sandwiched in between is Lourhianon (Luke Plano), the 2-1 morning line favorite who swept the Daryl Busse series earlier at the meet.

They’ll be confronted by Frontier Manard (pp 1, Freddie Patton Jr.), Fox Valley Cruise (pp 5, Travis Seekman) and For Trots Sake (Casey Leonard), in the fifth race on the larger-than-normal 14 race program.

Meanwhile the Searle stable’s Louscardamon (Kyle Husted), is in a good spot to make it back-to-back victories in the Night of Champions stake series. The trotter has the three post in the second race first split for 3-year-old colts and geldings. He comes off a romping five length win in his $6,957 division of the Downstate Classic for owners Flacco Family Farms and Dr. Patrick Graham of Pittsfield, Illinois.

Louscardamon will take on: Fox Valley Picaso (Robert Smolin), Swaneelou (Kyle Wilfong), Big Garcia Vega (Ronnie Gillespie), Captainsblacksparrow (Casey Leonard), Super Betcha (Ridge Warren) and Prince Cassis (Ryan Anderson).

Star Mare Returns: Back at Hawthorne after a three-week absence is Danny Graham’s talented 5-year-old ICF trotting mare Anna’s Lucky Star, assigned the outside six-post in Sunday’s third race $12,000 Open for trotters.

Trained by Nelson Willis, Anna’s Lucky Star had two terrific winning Open performances in late May and early June. However, she had to go to Indiana to get raced when Hawthorne’s usual Sunday feature then failed to attract sufficient entries.

Awaiting Anna’s Lucky Star and her gaudy career winning record of 26 wins in 46 starts are: (from the pole position out) Spirit O’Mar (Steve Searle), Justlikehim (Luke Plano), Kristy’sgingergal (Ryan Anderson), Meadowbrook Glider (Casey Leonard) and Saratoga (NY) invader Mandeville (Robert Smolin).

Second Quarter Did It: Races can be won or lost from the get-go and that was the case last night when Fox Valley Triton, nicely handled by Casey Leonard, knocked off the 1 to 2 favorite Meyer On Fire, in the first division of the Robert F. Carey stake series for ICF 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

Casey hustled Fox Valley Triton out from the outside seven slot and made the front before the first turn was completed, while this season’s double-stakes winner Meyer On Fire was ducked at the start by driver Kyle Wilfong from post six.

Fox Valley Triton paced the first panel in a modest 28.3 quarter, with Meyer On Fire in seventh and last, some 10-plus lengths behind. When no one pulled, Wilfong had to rush Meyer On Fire from the end of the line without cover to get alongside, after Fox Valley Triton coasted to a dawdling 30.3 second quarter.

Meyer On Fire raced outside of the eventual Terry Leonard stable winner, through a quick 27.2 third quarter through the last turn, but the trip took its toll and Fox Valley Triton pulled away in deep stretch, proving best by almost three lengths in the 1:53.3 mile.

Meyer On Fire finished second, with The Bucket a non-threating third.

No Maximum Effort: The heavy favorite Maximus ($2.40) with Wilfong, had things go their way in the second Carey split and they were never seriously challenged. The Ken Rucker trained sophomore cut leisurely fraction times of 28.4, 58.4 and 1:28.1, before sprinting away to a 1:55 clocking.

Coming Up enjoyed a two-hole journey to be second, beaten by about two lengths.

Casey also brought home the first winner of the Plum Peachy filly stake, when the Rodney Freese trainee, Fox Valley Torrid ($7.60), took advantage of a pocket trip and proceeded to drew off to a five length triumph in 1:56. The front-stepping Valar Moghulis held off the late rushing Fox Valley Lolo for runner-up honors.

Still Perched on Top: Wilfong put first leg Plum Peachy victor Perch ($2.40), on the front-end at the three-eighths pole and the Jay Garrels filly went on and coasted to 1:53.3 victory, in the second round of the Night of Champion series, three lengths ahead of Lilly Von Stupp.

The Hosea Williams stable’s Rollin Coal ($9.40), powered past for driver Juan Franco, to capture the $12,000 Open for fillies and mares, her fifth win of the meet. The 1:51.2 mile time was a new lifetime mark for the 4-year-old ICF mare.

Wilfong bagged five winners on Saturday’s card, while Leonard had four first place finishers.