Annas Lucky Star (Juan Franco) made her 57th stop at winner’s circle Thursday at Springfield when she breezed in the Spring Preview for aged ICF trotting mares. It was her season debut as a nine-year-old. (Photo by Kandi Herzog)

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

After an eight-month absence, and a two-day postponement because of adverse track conditions, harness racing returned to Illinois on Thursday at the State Fair Grounds in Springfield.

Tuesday’s scheduled card, and a possible follow-up program on Wednesday, had to be scrubbed because of rainy conditions on the dirt track.

Fourteen events went postward in the Spring Preview Thursday, sponsored by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, with most horses making their 2023 initial start.

A second Spring Preview, also for strictly state breds, ages three and up, will be conducted next Tuesday at Springfield. The Du Quoin fairgrounds will host a Preview card for only two-year old ICF horses on June 3.

The racing surface was still drying out Thursday and accordingly was listed as “good” by the stewards when the Terry Leonard Stable’s Keen Cathy (Casey Leonard) came from far out it in her debut to take the first of a trio of 3-year-old pacing filly divisions in 2:01.1 by one length over Incredible Lorean (Travis Seekman)

Last year’s 2-year-old division champion Fox Valley Kia (Phil Knox) led though much of the race but made a break at the top of lane.

Fox Valley Cha Cha (Jamaica Patton) handily won the second split in 1:59 flat for trainer Charles Arthur and despite being parked-out much of the way Dandy’s Showtime (Casey Leonard), from the barn of conditioner Terry Leonard, held off last year’s Incredible Tillie Final runner-up Rona Mae (Jordan Patton) by a whisker in 1:59.3.

The first of three sophomore colt paces went to Kevin Miller Stable’s Foxman (Wyatt Avenatti) comfortably in 1:58 flat. The well regarded three-year-old Fox Valley Cayman (Casey Leonard) from the barn of Tom Simmons breezed in 1:57 flat, and Kage Daniel (Juan Franco), trained by Tom Graham Jr, took the third colt heat in 1:56.2.

Lou Sangreal (Travis Seekman) dominated the first of two filly trots, pulling away to an eight-length triumph (2:01.2) for trainer Steve Searle while the Mike Brink Stable’s Dawn Of Creation (Mike Brink) eked out a nose decision over Zena Lou (Casey Leonard) in the second split that went in 2:01.2.

Driver Wyatt Avenatti was back in the winner’s circle after Aint No Mojo powered past in the sophomore ICF colt trot division in 1:58.2 for conditioner Kevin Miller while last season’s juvenile champ Goomster, driven by his trainer and owner Dennis Garner, left the second division in the dust with almost a nine-length conquest in 1:58.1

The Nick Prather trained Skeeter Machine (Travis Seekman) easily captured the aged state-bred pacing mare event in 1:59.2 and Fox Valley Gemini (Casey Leonard) hardly broke out in a sweat, crushing his field of older male Illinois bred pacers with a 1:56.4 mile.

Annas Lucky Star (Juan Franco) now nine-years-old, started her season off by romping to her 57th career victory in the older mare trot affair. The 2022 Erwin F. Dygert Memorial champion Lousdobb (2:00.2) won for fun (a dozen-plus lengths) in the aged male grouping for trainer Steve Searle, giving Casey Leonard his fifth winning drive of the day.

Elsewhere, other Illinois champions were in action recently and with impressive results.



Yes, He’zzz Back: Triple ZZZ Stable’s He’zzz A Wise Sky (Kyle Wilfong) motored to a 1:49.2 winning mile last Friday in Hoosier Park’s $16,000 Open 2-3 in his usual front-end style.

Wilfong hustled the six-year-old John Filomeno trained homebred out from the outside seven-hole to a sizzling 26 flat first quarter. After a 27.2 second panel, the former Illinois Harness Horse of the Year coasted to consecutive 28 flat last quarters for his first season win.

He’zzz A Wise Sky’s next opportunity to add to his $533,133 career bankroll is this Friday night when he leaves from the two-slot in a seven-horse handicapped field in the Indiana track’s featured $22,000 Open 1-2 Pace.

Awesome Homecoming: Two-time defending ICF aged pacing mare Fox Valley Exploit (Kyle Husted) found the return to the Husted stable just what she needed to turn her fortunes around.

The six-year-old mare uncorked a wicked 26.1 last quarter and won by more than one-length with a lifetime best 1:51 flat mile in a conditioned pace at Hoosier last weekend for driver Kyle Husted and his wife, trainer Amy Husted.

Fox Valley Exploit made her first seven starts of the season out east, mostly at the Meadowlands, with some success, winning twice and banking almost $16,000 with trainer Noel Daley.

She’ll compete Saturday at Hoosier in a $18,000 Open 2/3 pace, where the mare will tangle with the well-regarded Gregory Kain ICF mare Scorecard Dandy, among others.

Happy Landing: Fox Valley Exploit wasn’t the only Husted stable horse to dazzle recently. Their promising three-year-old gelded pacer Fox Valley Landen powered past an open field of horses earlier last week at Hoosier, stopping the timer with a fast 1:51.1 clocking in just the Somestarsomewhere pacer’s second outing of the season.

Kyle Husted gave Fox Valley Landen a perfect trip and the gelding delivered a 26.1 last panel to propel him to a new lifetime mark for owners David Brigham (Michigan), John Schwartz (Illinois) and Kyle Husted (Illinois)