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Trainer Terry Leonard Reaches Milestone

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, […]

At Long Last Racing in Illinois

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 […]

Covid Nurse Living Her Dream

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 […]

Q. & A. with Driver Casey Leonard

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. […]

Opportunity Knocked . . .Amy Husted Answered

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 […]

Another Strong Bench for Team Miller

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 […]

Seekman’s Arrow Pointing Upwards

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 […]