By Mike Paradise for the IHHA In an era where there’s year-long racing elsewhere in the country it’s not that unusual to see a driver reach the four-figure plateau in career dash winners rather quickly. However, it’s still rare to see a trainer send out 1,000 winners in his or her career, […]
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 […]
By Mike Paradise for the IHHA Good things can eventually come to those who persevere though some rough times. You need not look any further than Julie Collins, the proud owner of last season’s champion Illinois bred two-year-old filly pacer Fox Valley Kia, as a spot-on example. Growing up as a teenager in […]
By Mike Paradise for the IHHA We had an opportunity to have a chat with multiple Illinois driver champion Casey Leonard on a variety of subjects pertaining to his craft. Illinois nowadays is down to two tracks for Standardbred racing, Hawthorne, and Springfield. While both are one-mile ovals, they’re quite different in many ways. […]
By Mike Paradise for the IHHA When Illinois horseman Kyle Husted last year designated his wife Amy as the stable’s listed trainer to give his wife some “recognition” she deserves, no one had any idea it would propel her into the Hawthorne harness racing annals. “Amy is there at the barn every day […]
By Mike Paradise for the IHHA Quality and quantity are a formidable combination in any sport, including harness racing. It paid off for Team Miller in last season’s Illinois bred colt two-year-old pacing division and it could very well be the key of getting the job done again as three-year-olds. The Midwest division […]
By Mike Paradise for the IHHA Travis Seekman is a couple weeks into his 18th season as a professional driver and the arrow is pointing upward for the modest Michigan native. The thirty-two-year-old Seekman is coming off his best campaign in the sulky, going over the $1 million plateau in purse money for the […]