By Mike Paradise You’ve heard the phrase “fly on the wall” on numerous occasions nevertheless I want to borrow it one last time for my final column of the year. In my case I would have loved to be “the fly on the wall” at last weekend’s annual Night of Champions get together at the […]
By Mike Paradise For many ICF pacers and trotters this year’s Illinois racing season isn’t quite over yet. Instead they’ll compete in Saturday’s Fall Classic raced on the State Fairgrounds in Springfield. The Illinois Department of Agriculture Horse Racing Division had allocated $50,000 in purse money for today’s Fall Classic, attracting many of the top […]
By Mike Paradise The leading trainer at the recently concluded Hawthorne meet wasn’t determined until the last race, the 15th, on the final program this past Sunday night. When it was all over Springfield based horseman Mike Brink came away with the trainer title by one scant winner over Steve Searle, 48 to 47. Brink […]
By Mike Paradise The 2020 Night of Champions at Hawthorne is in the history books and unlike last year’s card on a rainy evening and sloppy track, this one was contested over clear skies and on a fast racing surface. A couple of siblings, Fox Valley Exploit and Allbeastnobeauty became the first full sisters to […]
By Mike Paradise Eleven ICF champions will be crowned tonight as Hawthorne Race Course hosts its annual showcase event of its meeting, the Night of Champions. Unlike other Night of Champions events, and for that matter Super Nights that preceded it, this one regrettably will be raced without any fans. They’ll be no cheering on-track […]