By Mike Paradise

With the emphasis last weekend on the opening legs of the three-year-old Night of Champions stake events another series on the Saturday card was probably overlooked by many Chicago circuit harness racing fans.

You can count me among those.

Hawthorne’s Cicero Claiming Series that started off a few weeks ago with $10,000 price tags has brushed aside the likely spider webs on the track’s Claiming Box and instead has produced a high dosage of actively.

In fact, of the ten starters in tonight’s final for male pacers, six of them have changed ownership at least once and in some instances, horses have been claimed in back-to-back starts at a higher amount.

The reason: A shot at lucrative $20,000 pot and nowadays in Illinois harness racing that is an alluring monetary prize.

Both of tonight’s eighth race starters Et Tu Brute Gary Rath) and Canthelpbutwin (Kyle Wilfong) were claimed back for $2,500 more by the same owners who lost them in the series opening leg.

In both instances, the higher tag wasn’t a loss for either of those owners since Et Tu Brute made $5,860 in his first two series starts for Bernie and Deb Paul of Tylertown, Mississippi while Canthelpbutwin claim back was a “wash” for David and Adams Brooks of Cambridge, Illinois because the pacer earned $2,500 in his first series round.

Gold Star Lambeau (Ridge Warren) was taken for $10,000 on May 15 by trainer Gene Gilerman for Richard Barone and the horse promptly put $6,000 on his card with a second-round victory a week ago for his Rosemont, Illinois owner.

And then there is the now nine-year-old veteran Trashytonguetalker (Travis Seekman) who was claimed in his last start at Cal-Expo before coming back to his favorite track. He was taken in leg one for $10,000 by his former Terry Leonard stable and then preceded to show his heels to his series foes a week ago in with quick 1:50.2 clocking when he was plucked by trainer Nathalie Tremble at a $12,500 price tag for new owner Maryann Plano

Here’s how they’ll line-up for the eighth race claiming final for colts and geldings: Et Tu Brute, DJ Lance, P H Hippie, Uncle CI, BR Ezliksndymornin, Adele’s Big Party, Canthelpbutwin, Sports Hero, Gold Star Lambeau and Trashytonguetalker with the outside 10-hole.

The $20,000 Sports Cicero final for mares follows in race nine. From the rial out you’ll find Unbroken Circle, A Sham Of Amber, Blissful Pansy, Sweetshadyshark, Roaring Home, Charlotte Royal N, Dune Dame, Spoxy’s Girl, Fox Valley Sierra and OK Jewel.

Rock It Out (inside) ended the Hawthorne filly and mare Open winning streak of Maggie Rhee (Todd Warren) last week. They’ll duel again in Saturday night’s $12,000 Open. (Four Footed Fotos)

Looking for Revenge: The Todd Warren stable’s Maggie Rhee saw her three-race winning streak snapped in last weekend’s filly and mare Open pace when Rock It Out from the barn of trainer Donna Holt gained a head decision in a 1:51.4 mile.

They’ll meet again in Saturday’s sixth race in the $12,000 event with Maggie Rhee handicapped with the outside eight-slot with Rock It Out starting from the seven with new driver Kyle Husted. Last week’s driver winning Kyle Wilfong will instead guide the Wilfong family’s It’s Time For Fun (pp 3).

Inside of It’s Time For Fun are Swinging Jenny (Tyler Shehan), Golden Paradise (Casey Leonard) and Better Days Ahead (Atlee Bender), in that order.

Last week’s third place finisher Tempus Seelster (Travis Seekman) leaves from the five while newcomer Priceless (Cordarius Stewart) is to her right. The latter has been competing in Hoosier Park Opens for trainer Kevin Miller and is the Hawthorne programmed favorite.

   He’zzz the Best: Triple ZZZ Stable’s He’zzz A Wise Sky ($.260) proved best again in the $12,000 Open with another front-end victory, this one in 1:51.2 with Kyle Wilfong at his lines on a sloppy racing surface.

Fox Valley Gemini (Casey Leonard) got the two-journey trip behind the He’zzz A Wise Sky but the four-year-old John Filomeno trained public’s choice had plenty left with a one and one-quarter winning margin for his Justice, Illinois owners.

By Mike Paradise

Hawthorne is trotting out a longer than usual Sunday card tonight headed-up by the first round of Night of Champions sophomore diagonally gaited ICF three-year-olds and a good betting Open handicap trot.

The Erwin F. Dygert Memorial events come early, races two and three on the 13-event program, came up with 12 colts or geldings entered making necessary for the series’ first leg to be split into two $12,500 divisions with six horses each.

The trotter coming into the race with the best credentials is Dennis Garner’s Shady Maple Spirit (Ridge Warren) with over $36,000 banked as a freshman. Most of that amount came early in his two-year-old season with a victory in a division of the Cardinal and second place finishes in the first two legs of the Kadabra,

With a season start under his belt and a significant post change tonight, from the 10-hole to the pole position, Shady Maple Spirit looks like a major contender,

Salute The Hero (Casey Leonard) was a $19,000 yearling purchase by trainer Mike Brink and is listed as the 2-1 programmed choice. Sumbodygettisfool (Jamaal Denson), TE’s Game Changer (Travis Seekman), Emsroscopcoletrian (Cornelius Stewart) and I’mnotalocaldude (Todd Warren) complete the field.

The second Erwin Dygert division brings out the 2020 ICF Colt Trotter of the Year Fistfullofdollars (pp 1, Todd Warren) who put over $70,000 on his freshman card with the bulk of it coming with his victory in the $118,000 Kadabra final on the Night of Champions.

According to track’s morning line, favoritism should go to the Steve Searle trained Rndmnunpredictable who had a good tighter last week with tonight’s driver Casey Leonard. The Flacco Family Farms homebred won a pair of starts in his juvenile campaign but went off stride at the start of the Kadabra championship.

Those two will tested by Conway Cassy (Kyle Wilfong), Mystical Murry (Jamaica Patton), Loyz Say When (Mike Rogers) and Shady Maple Valor (Archie Buford) who won his Cardinal stake division as a two-year-old.

Flacco Family Farm’s Lousraptor (Juan Franco) looks to rally past another Open Trot field Sunday night. (Four Footed Fotos).

Solid Open Trot: The fourth race Open Trot follows, and it was handicapped by groups with Talk About Valor (Travis Seekman) allocated the pole position. Posts two through five were drawn with Cashit It (Kyle Husted) getting the two, to his left are Louscardamon (Cornadous Stewart), the Australian bred Needabacardi A (Casey Leonard), and Walter White (Ridge Warren). The six was assigned to Never Say Uncle (Kyle Wilfong).

Hawthorne’s last two Open trot winners, Lousraptor (Juan Franco) and Pine Dream (Todd Warren), ended up with the seven and eight posts, in that order.

Pine Dream’s three race winning streak was snapped a week ago by Lousraptor but it wasn’t for lack of effort. The often front-stepping Merv Chupp trainee went off stride going to gate as the 3-2 choice, fell behind about eight lengths to last, and still came on to be second best.

The Steve Searle trained Lousraptor came flying down the middle of the stretch to make it four victories in a row in 1:54 flat, a new mark for the five-year-old Flacco Family Farms home bred.

A Heartfelt Victory: Hammered down to 2-5 odds Hart’s Heart ($2.80) didn’t disappoint her many supporters in last night’s $12,500 first leg of the Plum Peachy stake series, posting a three-quarter length victory over a parked-out Scorecard Dancy (Juan Franco).

Hart’s Heart was one of four winning drives on the card for Kyle Wilfong who also guided the Donna Holt Rock It Out ($9.40) to her win in the $12,000 Open Pace for filly and mare pacers earlier Saturday night.

Hart’s Heart, trained by Mike Brink for Illinois owners and breeders Donna Crebs and Judy Conzo, was floated out and eventually took over the lead on backside after a modest 29.4 opening quarter and won in 1:54.4.

Meanwhile Scorecard Dandy, saddled with the nine-holt in an 11-horse field was parked-out every step of the in a very game effort for trainer Gregory Kain.

Princess Moose (Travis Seekman) raced well to be third.

By Mike Paradise

Hawthorne’s Night of Champions is a long way off, four months to be exact, however the method to land into the profitable ICF championships begin this weekend.

First up is Friday’s first leg of the Robert F. Carey Jr. Memorial stake series for state bred sophomore pacing colts and geldings, tonight’s fifth race.

The 10 leading point earners after four legs of the Carey stake series earn a starting berth in the September 25th championship. A series leg victory is worth 50 points. Then it is 25 for a second finish, 12 for a third, 8 for a fourth and 5 for a fifth. A single point goes to a horse that starts in a series round.

While its often said it is’nt how a horse starts this series but rather how he finishes it when big prize is on the line, this is the time to gain some valuable series points, and rake-in some respectable purse money with two of the division’s big guns are silently on the sidelines,

The 2020 leading money-earning, state-bred juvenile pacers, ICF Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year Frontier Charley and Night of Champions winner Well Basically, evidently are not ready for their second debuts and were not entered for the first leg of the Carey.

That leaves the door wide open for one of tonight’s 10 starters to haul in the winner’s share of a $12,500 purse while zipping to the top of the Carey point standings.

Ideal Big Guy (Casey Leonard) shown here winning a leg of last season’s Incredible Finale series over the 2020 ICF Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year Frontier Charley, leaves from post eight in tonight’s first round of the Robert F. Carey Memorial stake series. Four Footed Fotos.

Ideal Big Guy (pp 8, Casey Leonard) and Partyatmosaplace (pp 5, Todd Warren, a pair of Terry Leonard trained three-year-old’s, figure to get good play.

Ideal Big Guy, a $19,000 yearling purchase, does boast a win as a freshman over Frontier Charley. It came in a leg of last year’s Incredible Finale series when the banked over $20,000 in his initial campaign for the Leonard stable.

Partyatmosasplace, a Watson Stable homebred, had a pair of seconds and thirds in in his eight juvenile starts, usually against the top horses in his division. The gelding won over $21,000 in 2020. Todd Warren will handle Partyatmosaplace for the first time in tonight’s Carey leg.

Despite landing the outside 10-slot, The Dossie Minor trained Bombay Bobby, also could be a major threat. The Major Bombay gelding prepped well for this race with a second-place finish last week’s and is another $20,000-plus earner as a freshman.

My price shot (20-1 in the morning line) for the gimmicks is BC’s Tufftiger (pp 4). His trainer Roshun Trigg is turning over the lines to fellow Mississippian Jamaal Denson, a 24-year-old “P” driver.

BC’s Tuffinger didn’t race particular well earlier this month prepping for this start, but he showed promise last year competing mostly at Springfield where the horse posted 7 wins and three seconds in an even dozen starts, often trading victories with Bombay Bobby.

Looking for their maiden victory in tonight’s Carey are Prince Of Style (pp 1, Cliff Bell), Sagebrush Skip (pp 2, Terry Skinner) and Ashlee’s Fine Guy (pp 2, Kyle Husted), a $38,000 buy as a yearling, along with Sportsmadness (pp 6, Jordon Patton) and Diamond Diesel (pp 7, Juan Franco). Ryans Loan Shark (pp 9, Travis Seekman), victorious three times as a two-year-old, completes the ICF field.