Stewart Starting to Cash-In on his Success

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By Mike Paradise

 

Mississippi native Cordarius Stewart has set a goal for himself going into the 2023 racing season and it’s the same as last year’s: “I want to get my driver average and numbers up again.”

 

It was mission accomplished in 2022 as the 28-year-old well-traveled Stewart grinded his way to his most successful season. His dash winners jumped from 52 in 2021 to a career high 93 last year while horses he drove won $200,000 more in purse money and Cordarius’ UDRS sprung from .147 to .258.

 

Stewart was plugging along at an even pace when the Springfield meeting came along last June when he suddenly caught fire. In the first few days of the meet Stewart had six first place finishes to go along with seven second place finishes. Many of his winners would have been at “double-digit” mutuels if there had been wagering on the Springfield races. Unfortunately, there wasn’t.

 

 

Cordarius Stewart drove Fox Valley Kia (No. 10) to her victory last summer in the ICFSC two-year-old filly pace at Springfield. (Four Footed Foto)

When racing returned two months later at the state’s capitol for the Illinois State Fair session Stewart’s boyhood dream come into fruition when he waved his way through traffic from the second tier10-post and steered Fox Valley Kia to her ISFCS two-year-old pacing filly championship with a new mark of 1:51.3, a fifth of a second off the all-time Illinois record for the filly’s gait and class.

 

Fox Valley Kia is a very nice filly,” said Cordarius. “She was a pleasure to drive.  Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a harness racing driver and winning a championship at Springfield,” said Cordarius. To have it happen is something very special for me.

 

Fox Valley Kia would go on to be named the 2022 Illinois Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer of the Year,

 

Stewart came up from Mississippi in 2017 to compete on the Chicago and Illinois County Fair circuit. The Jackson, MI native only took 48 horses to the starting gate that year, a far cry from his last three-year average of more than 700 per season.

 

“The more driving opportunities, the better you get at it. I want to keep improving,” added Cordarius.

 

We mentioned earlier that Stewart was a much-traveled driver. The old popular song Johnny Cash song “I’ve Been Everywhere” fits the likeable horseman, at least as Illinois is concerned.

 

Cordadius competed in the Prairie State last year at Springfield, Du Quoin, Hawthorne, Paris, Urbana, Altamont, Charleston, Belvidere, Marshall, Greenup, Farm City, Henry, Sandwich, Lincoln, Knox, Rushville, Decatur, Carlinville, Carrollton, and Newton.

 

If you’re counting, that’s 20 different racetracks in Illinois

 

Stewart began the 2002 season at Cal-Expo in Sacramento, California and ended his year at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, also with stops in between at Oak Grove, Kentucky and Hoosier Park, Indiana.

 

The Mississippi traveling man saw his gasoline bills climb upward while wearing new driver colors last year and they contained one noticeable difference: Gone are the horseshoes on back of his green-c-red-white colors. They were replaced with $ signs. Yes, dollar signs.

 

“That was (driver) Brandon Bates idea,” said Cordarius with a chuckle. My nickname is ‘C D’ for Cash Deposit. He thought dollar signs would be a nice touch to my colors.”

 

We agree.

From Grandstand to the Backstretch

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By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 

While most follow in the footsteps of family members to become a horseman, there are some that take a more unfamiliar route to get a driver or trainer’s license. . .  going from the grandstand to the backstretch.

 

That’s the case with Illinois horseman Jim Molitor.

 

The 45-year-old Molitor grew up on the southwest side of Chicago, not far from the city’s “other” Airport, known as Midway. Those familiar with the area know from Midway it’s a just short commute (three miles) down busy Cicero Avenue to where Hawthorne Race Course has proudly stood for many decades and where harness racing reigned supreme for more than 50 years at neighboring Sportsman’s Park, once upon a time hailed as one of the nation’s jewels of Standardbred racing.

 

Molitor and his St. Lawrence Catholic High School, buddy “T J” spent many nights, and plenty of days, at the two historical Chicago circuit racetracks, and for several years after their graduations.

 

“Sportsman’s Park was great,” said Molitor. “You saw the best horses and drivers go at it year after year. And Hawthorne raced in the winter with double headers and had some of country’s best horses and horseman, too. It was so cool.

 

“You got to watch an entire card. Then go home and get something to eat and come back for ten more races on the night card. It didn’t take long to get me hooked on the sport.”

 

Michael Perrin’s Apple Valley (Travis Seekman) shows her winning form at last year’s Illinois State Fair in Springfield. (Four Footed Photo)

Sportsman’s Park fell victim of poor management decisions and went belly-up in 1997 and now days neighbor Hawthorne stands alone as Illinois lone Standardbred pari-mutuel track. Nevertheless, the loss of Sportsman’s never dampened Molitor’s enthusiasm for the harness racing industry.

 

“I would talk to some of the great Illinois drivers like Dave Magee and Lavern Hostetler about becoming a driver and trainer and get their suggestions on what to do to follow my dream. I remember Magee telling me ‘If a bucket needs to be picked up and moved, do it. Be the guy that’s always there to help out.”’

 

Molitor no doubt carried many a bucket and mucked countless stalls before getting his driving license in 2006 and his trainer’s license a season later.

 

“Warming up horses helped me quite a lot,” continued Molitor. “Driving in my first qualifying race was awesome. Guys like Tim Tetrick, Dave Magee and Tony Morgan were in it.

 

As expected, success didn’t come quickly for Jim. There were some lean years before Molitor stepped onto the Illinois limelight in 2021 when he visited the Hawthorne’s winner’s circle, not once, but twice on the track’s showcase Night of Champions.

 

His stable’s three-year-old state-bred Ryans Ambassador captured the $79,000 Robert F. Carey Memorial three-year-old male pacing final and a half-dozen races later Apple Valley came away with the $117,000 Incredible Tillie juvenile filly championship.

 

The Michael J. Perrin homebred Apple Valley went on to be named the 2021 Illinois freshman filly pacer of the year and last month was honored as the state’s three-year-old distaff champion after finishing first or second in 12 of 13 starts and banking over $97,000 for her Glenwood, Illinois owner and breeder.

 

In Apple Valley’s first two seasons of racing the daughter of Major Bombay, out of Perrin’s Sportsmaster’s broodmare Ali Cat, sports an eye-catching record of 11 wins and 6 seconds in 20 trips to the starting gate, a mark of 1:51.4, and $177,983 in purse earnings.

 

Molitor has been gearing up Apple Valley for the mare’s four-year-old season.

 

“She’s coming along well. We sent her last weekend to trainer Robert Taylor who has a real nice facility in Indiana. She’ll get ready on a good track there. She’ll probably qualify in a couple of weeks at Hoosier and then race in Indiana until Springfield opens in June.

 

“Robert is a good horseman and a friend of mind. He had her the early part of last year. Apple Valley is four now, so this season she’ll have to go against some good older Illinois-bred mares like of Fox Valley Exploit, however I expect Apple Valley to be very competitive in her division.”

 

Jamaica Rises to a Select Group

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By Mike Paradise for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association

 

What statistics determine whether a trainer did a stellar job with his or her horses in their barn? Money won? Number of victories?

 

Maybe, but the number of horses in the barn, the quality of the stock, the amount of racing dates in the state, and the purse structure they’re racing for, all have a major impact on money earned and number of wins.

 

If instead the answer is getting the most out of the hand a trainer is dealt, then you’ll have to agree that Mississippi native Jamaica Patton did one heck of a job last year for his owners.

 

Jamaica generated a UTRS of .377, tops for an Illinois based conditioner and eleventh nationally for trainers who started between 300 and 499 horses.

 

In 2022 Mississippi native Jamaica Patton put together a banner year in Illinois as both a trainer and a driver. (Four Footed Foto)

The 43-year-old Patton, who resides in Rochester, Illinois, a suburb of Springfield, was also among the best in the country as a driver with 300 to 499 opportunities, posting a sparkling .386 UDRS, good for fifth place nationwide.

 

“I’m proud of those stats,” said Jamaica.  And rightly so I might add.

 

It’s been a long road filled with downs and downs for Jamaica like most Mississippi horsemen who ventured up over the last few decades to the Illinois County Fair Circuit and eventually to the Chicago harness racing circle.

 

Jamaica began driving horses in Mississippi in 1997 when he was 17-year-old. He had an even dozen drives and two winners. The same year his one-horse stable had just a single start.

 

“I remember my first winner,” said Jamaica. “His name was Rocco Porter, and it was at the Neshoba County Fair in Philadelphia (Mississippi).”

 

One year later Jamaica trained his first winner when he guided Hollys Dreamfinder to victory at the Pinckneyville, Illinois Fair.

 

Twenty-five years have passed since with the hard-working Mississippian toiled his way to an elite grouping in 2022.

 

I met Jamaica in the Balmoral Park winner’s circle on Super Night 2008 when he guided the 40-1 longshot My Birthday to an upset victory in the Lady Ann Reed three-year-old filly trot championship for trainer Herman Wheeler.

 

Three years later we got reacquainted in the Balmoral Park winner’s circle on Super Night 2011, this time after Jamaica steered the ICF filly trotter Maple Grover Shaelyn to victory in the Lady Ann Reed showdown for trainer Joseph Mullins.

 

Last year Patton had 357 horses go to the gate and posted 83 wins, 62 seconds and 51 thirds, with $389,830 in purse earnings, more than $140,000 better than the previous year.

 

Jamaica Patton drove Maple Grove Shalyn to her 2011 Super Night victory in Balmoral Park’s Lady Ann Reed three-year-old filly trotting championships for trainer Joseph Mullins. (REB Photo)

The star of Jamaica’s stable was Fox Valley Langley, the 2022 Illinois Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year. The multi stakes winner made $57,480 and took a mark of 1:52 flat for Illinois owners Lyle Lipe (Springfield) and Melvin Schoneweis. The Somestarsomewhere offspring captured seven of eleven races to go along with a pair of seconds.

 

Patton’s five-year-old ICF trotter Heath Bar delivered $84,245 for the trio of Lipe, Ron Phillips (Athens, IL) and Sharry Boledovich (Lakewood, CO), more than twice as much as the trotter did in his previous two seasons. The 11-time winner captured a pair of in-state Opens and was third in both the $50,000 summer and the $62,000 Night of Champions Plesac stakes at Hawthorne.

 

At the age of nine, Primed N Powerful, another son of Psychic Spirit, had his best racing season money-wise with over $77,000 banked for co-owners Boledovich and Jamaica.

 

Deputy Dawg, a son of the Illinois sire World of Rocknroll, and Judge Me Not, out of the Prairie state’s trotting stud Can’s Afford It, had promising two-year-old campaigns for Patton.

 

The pacer Deputy Dawg carried out a busy first season of racing with 21 starts and was first or second in 18 of them, winning ten, and making over $31,000 for proprietor Detricke Kelly of Canton, Mississippi.

 

Judge Me Not, put $31,230 on his first season card and was victorious four times in 15 trips to the gate for the threesome of Phillips, Boledovich and Patton. The homebred was the runner-up in the $50,000 Governor’s Cup at the Du Quoin State Fair.

 

Illinois “Little Guy” Came Up Big

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By Mike Paradise, for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association

Covering harness racing in Illinois for the last fifty years I’ll admit there were plenty of times I silently rooted for the underdog to win a major race or the trainer of a small barn to come away with the big prize at the end of a racing season.

 

With that said, I’m sure there were many others in the prairie-state Standardbred industry who were also smiling when long-time owner-trainer Dennis Gardner’s young trotter Goomster was honored as the 2022 ICF Two-Year-Old Colt Trotter of the year at last month’s Illinois Horsemen’s Award Banquet in Springfield.

 

Goomster (Kyle Wilfong) surprised some people, including his owner and trainer Dennis Gardner, by rising to the top of his 2022 class in his first season of racing. (Four Footed Photo)

Going into the 2022 racing season Gardner never envisioned Goomster would end up as the best in his class. Heck, Dennis didn’t even think Goomster was the best two-year-old trotter in his barn.

 

“I thought his stable-mate Takemetodennyland was going to be the better of the two, “said Gardner. “But Goomster proved me wrong. He just kept on getting better and better as the season went on.”

 

Gardner got into the harness racing business in the mid-1990’s, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle. The 55-year-old Onley, Illinois native always had a modest size stable of horses that mostly competed on the Illinois County Fair Circuit with modest success.

 

Like so many other “little guys” in the business, Gardner thoroughly enjoys what he is doing and always dreamed of having “a good horse.”

 

“You’re always hoping to get that ‘good one,’” quipped Gardner. “Goomster has come along and become that for me.”

 

Goomster hauled in $120,125 for the West Salem, Illinois owner and trainer while winning a trio of major ICF stakes along the way. In his previous 23 seasons of racing Gardner’s horses only earned $50,000 or higher in three campaigns, none higher $61,928 in 2012.

 

Goomster and his freshman buddy Takemetodennyland combined for $157,545 in purse earnings in 2022.

 

The only time Goomster didn’t get a check in his12 freshman starts came about when the youngster was interfered with early in the $50,000 Governor’s Cup at Du Quoin.

 

“That happen because his rival, Niko’s Man, went off stride before the start and kind of went sideways into my horse, causing him to break,” said Gardner.”

 

Goomster finished his first season with 5 wins and 4 seconds in his dozen starts and came up big when it counted the most, capturing the $50,000 summer Kadabra championship at Hawthorne, the $30,000 Springfield crown, and the $144,000 Kadabra final on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions.

 

Trainer Dennis Gardner

“His win at Springfield meant the most to me,” said Gardner, “even more than the one on Super Night. It always has been my dream to win a big race at Springfield.”

 

Goomster’s freshman mark of 1:54.3 came in the Springfield championship. Bred by Vern Miller of Sullivan, Illinois the son of Cassis was the first foal of the Muscle Hill dam Sheeza Muscle Girl.

 

Goomster headed up a strong one-two punch for Gardner in last season’s Illinois two-year-old colt trotting class. His stable-mate Takemetodennyland made $37,420 in his first season going to the gate 14 times. Another Cassis offspring, Takemetodennyland was a five-time winner, proving best in the summer’s Kadabra elimination at Hawthorne. The consistent youngster was second in his Cardinal division and in the fall’s Kadabra elimination, and third in both the Springfield final and Du Quoin’s Governor Cup.”

 

Are you the “Denny” in the horse’s name? I asked Gardner.

 

“Yep, that’s my nickname,” he replied. “One of my good friends who passed away a couple of years ago was Walt Keyser and he always called me that. I named Takemetodennyland as a tribute to him.”

 

Denny bought Takemeodennyland for $6,500 at the 2020 Illini Classic Sale. The son of Pilgrims Stunner, out of the broodmare Broadway Hall, was bred at the University of Illinois veterinarian school.

 

“Takemetodennyland is a little handier than Goomster because he can get off the gate so well. Goomster is more of a closer, but he did get better getting out of there as the season went on.

 

“Takemetodennyland has a little bit of a breathing issue that I hope I can take care of for his 3-year-old season. I’ve recently started jogging both horses, and I want to them and a half dozen two-year-olds that I have, ready to go by June 1st for Springfield.”

 

Gardner went on to praise Goomster’s driver Kyle Wilfong, who ran away with the leading driver honors at Hawthorne last year. “Kyle did a terrific job of driving Goomster all season long. He always had my horse in position to succeed in a race.”

 

“Lou’s” Stallion Legacy Continues

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By Mike Paradise

 

Nowadays it’s a near certainty when it comes to the naming of the Illinois Trotting Sire of the Year. For the fifth year in a row and the sixth in the last seven, the Flacco Family Farm’s pride and joy stallion Lou’s Legacy came away with the honor.

 

And why not?

 

Lou’s Legacy’s daughter Funky Wiggle (1:51.4, $131,235) deservingly captured the 2022 Illinois Harness Horse of the Year award, to go along with the ICF three-year-old filly trotting prize for her trainer and co-owner Curt Grummel.

 

These foals are adorable offsprings of the prominent Flacco Family Farms stallion Lou’s Legacy, named the Illinois Stallion of the Year for the fifth consecutive time last month. (Photos courtesy of Flacco Family Farms).

Plus, the Grummel stable’s Marvelous Mystery (1:57.2, $129,722), another Lou’s Legacy youngster, was selected as the prairie state’s top two-year-old filly trotter. Likewise, the Steve Searle trained Lousdobb (1:54.1, $117,235) made it back-to-back years for the son of Lou’s Legacy to be honored, this time in the state-bred three-year-old colt trotting category.

 

Lous Legacy, a son of Windsong’s Legacy, out of the Meadow Road broodmare Lady Love mare, was attained by Flacco Family Farms in early 2013. The productive stallion’s sons and daughters have earned over $7 million and countless ICF awards since, not too shabby for a horse that was a bit of a gamble to be an effective money-maker as a stallion because of a low fertility rate.

 

“I thought I could do a few things that might help Lou’s Legacy and he’s turned out to be just unbelievable for us,” said Dr. Richard Flacco, who heads-up the Alexis, Illinois family’s enterprise. “His fertility rate is like 10 times better than it was when we got him,”

 

In his family practice as a doctor, Flacco has been involved in the fertility of humans and has used that knowledge in the horse breeding business.

 

Among Lou’s Legacy’s successful Illinois bred foals over the past several years include Funky Wiggle, Louzotic, Lougazi, Lousdobb, Lousraptor, Loulita, Encantado, Lous Abigail, Lousciper, and Marvelous Mystery.

 

Another plum for the Flacco farm came about when their mare Olives And Caviar (SJ’s Caviar – Winbak Olive) was named the Illinois Trotting Broodmare of the Year for a second straight time.

 

A Wise Decision: Turning to the prairie state’s pacing category, John and Joan’s homebred Gimmeazzzmooch (Four Starzzz Shark – Fox Valley Moochie) landed the 2022 Illinois Pacing Broodmare of the Year award.

 

Gimmeazzmooch’s first foal He’zzz A Wise Sky once again repeated as the top ICF aged pacer of the year. The Yankee Skyscraper offspring hauled in over $202,000 as a five-year-old, winning 14 of 28 starts against some of the best in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, and lowered his mark to 1:48.3.

 

He’zzz A Wise Sky’s three-year-old sister Kizzzmelikeumissme (1:53.3) banked $44,689 in her first year of competition, while half-brother Rollinwithdaponyzzz (1:51.2) earned over $66,000. The Time To Roll gelding was claimed off the Triple ZZZ stable for $8,000 last year and has raced out of four different barns since.

 

Kizzzmelikeumissme’s first season was cut short when the filly suffered a bone chip after her race in the Downstate Classic on August 3rd at the Altamont fair track. The filly was on the mend when the fall’s important Plum Peachy stake on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions was contested in mid-September.

 

“She’s a big filly and the race at Altamont was her first time on half-miler,” said trainer John Filomeno. “I was happy with her effort. She finished second to a track record performance (1:58.3). It was her last race of the season. We took care of her injury and she’ll be ready when the Illinois racing season gets way at Springfield.”

 

Kizzzmelikeyoumissme posted four wins in an even dozen starts including victories at Hawthorne in a $30,000 ICF sophomore filly pace and the summer’s Plum Peachy stake elimination.

 

Filomeno has another full brother and full sister to He’zzz A Wise Sky and Kizzmelikeumissme on the way. The two-year-old colt Who’zzz This Sky is being prepared for the upcoming Illinois racing season and Filomeno also has his younger sister Minithezzzmoocher. (You gotta love those names).

Will Illinois Trotting Queen Step Down?

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By Mike Paradise

 

Should she keep racing, or step down from her throne?  That question pertains to the fate of long-time Illinois trotting queen Annas Lucky Star.

 

Was 2022 the last year of her brilliant racing career that saw the now nine-year-old mare come away with yet another year end ICF trotting award (her seventh straight) or does her new calling as a broodmare begin this year?

 

Those two choices once again had to be tackled by Annas Lucky Star owner and breeder Danny Graham.

 

The Salem, Illinois native has often changed his mind the past few years from retirement for this talented trotter to one more year of competition, and each time Annas Lucky Star proved that motherhood should wait.

 

DANNY GRAHAM

This time there was no hesitation in Danny’s voice when the obvious question was popped.

 

“We’re going to race her one more year,” disclosed Graham. “She’s real sound and she earned another year of racing. Right now, we’ve got her at Ray Hanna’s place in Altamont (IL). I’ve driven up there a few times to see how she’s doing and she’s doing fine.

 

“Anna probably won’t be looked upon as the No. 1 Illinois trotting mare going into this season. That title will belong to Funky Wiggle, who is four now. She became the fastest Illinois bred trotting filly last year with her record (1:51.1) mile and went on to be the state’s horse of the year,” continued Danny.

 

“I’m looking forward to “Anna” and her going at it this year. Hopefully we can give Funky Wiggle some good races.”

 

The aging star of the Nelson Willis Stable may be getting up there in years older, but Annas Lucky Star, a daughter of Cassis out of the Danny’s broodmare Queen Jamie, has shown time and time again she still has the desire and the ability to be very competitive at a high level, while continuing to haul in plenty of dough.

 

The gifted mare took home another $112,527 last year while regularly driven by Kyle Wilfong. She has now amassed $627,429 in lifetime purse earnings.  And mind you, in six unbeaten starts as a two-year-old “Anna” made a modest $36,870 since she wasn’t eligible for any of the major Chicago circuit stakes.

 

As far as 2024 is concerned for Annas Lucky Star, Danny will put the decision on hold for the time being. “That’s a long way off,” said Danny. “I’m thinking right now that this is her last racing season, but I’ve changed my mind about her so many times before, so let’s just wait and see how things develop.”

 

Queen Jamie Passes: On a sad note, Graham disclosed that his broodmare Queen Jamie, the dam of Annas Lucky Star “had to be put down last August.” Queen Jamie was 25.  “Her foals made over $1.1 million,” said Danny.

 

Besides Annas Lucky Star, Queen Jamie delivered Anthonyskywalker (1:54.0), $257,556), a Powerful Emotion state-bred trotter who won both Balmoral’s Cardinal and Hanover stakes in 2008 as a two-year-old for trainer Homer Hochstetler. Among others, Queen Jamie also produced Red Victor (1:55.3), Powerful Anthony (1:56.2) and Rocknprincessabbie (1:56.4).

 

Looking Good: ICF Aged Mare Pacer of the Year Fox Valley Exploit (Andrew McCarthy) was a first-over winner in a $12,500 conditioned pace last Saturday at Yonkers for owners Kyle Husted and David Bingham. Racing out of the barn of trainer Noel Daley, the now six-year-old Sportsmaster mare was timed in 1:52.1 on the New York half-mile track.

 

Illinois Champ Won’t Mind Second Job

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By Mike Paradise

 

The 2022 ICF Champion Aged Horse Pacer He’zzz A Wise Sky saw his winter plans change but I’m sure the former two-time Illinois Horse of the Year doesn’t mind.

 

“I was going to race him throughout the winter,” said his trainer, John Filomeno. “However, I decided to give him a long rest instead. He really didn’t have a lengthy break last year and I thought he could use it.

 

JOHN FILOMENO. . . Trainer and co-owner of the Illinois bred standout He’zzz A Wise Sky. (Illinois County Fair Harness Racing Facebook Photo)

“Besides, the horse will have some stud duty coming up. He’ll breed to a handful of mares. In the past he didn’t seem to have any interest in being a stud but last season there were times on the racetrack he showed that he did.

 

“I’ve got information about breeding to He’zzz A Wise Sky on our web-site (https://triplezzzstable.com).”

 

Owned and bred by Triple ZZZ Stable of Beecher, Illinois, He’zzz A Wise Sky had another terrific year racing as a five-year-old, banking $202,784, no small feat for an Illinois bred pacer these days, while lowering his lifetime mark to $1.48.3

 

Of his 28 starts last season, 11 came in his home state of Illinois and He’zzz A Wise Sky won 10 of them, most often handicapped with the outside post. The 2020 and 2021 Illinois Harness Horse of the Year’s lone in-state loss came in the $62,000 Robert S. Molero Memorial on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions to Fox Valley Gemini, who wore the same prestigious Illinois crown in 2018 and 2019.

 

“He beat us in the last stride,” said his trainer. “Fox Valley Gemini is a great Illinois bred horse and he always comes up strong in the biggest ICF stakes.”

 

Illinois standout He’zzz A Wise Sky (Kyle Wilfong) shows his winning form. (Four Footed Foto)

Outside the prairie-state He’zzz A Wise Sky picked-up four more victories to go along with six second place finishes, and captured Opens in Ohio and Kentucky.

 

In his four seasons of racing, the Yankee Skyscraper pacer, out of the stable’s Four Star Shark’s homebred mare Gimmeazzzmooch, has raked in over a half million dollars ($522,315) for Triple ZZZ stable owners Donald, Joann, John and Charisse Filomeno, and David Miller and Toni Presto.

 

“I’ll probably try to qualify him in early April and like I’ve said in the past, I won’t over race him,” added Filomeno.

 

The horse has made 78 starts in four years of racing and has finished third or better in 66 of them, winning 36 times and usually against the upper echelon foes in the Midwest.

 

“I’m thinking about maybe taking him to Minnesota this summer for the Dan Patch at Running Aces. That’s a long way off, so we’ll see how he’s doing and make that decision later.”

 

Meanwhile, the Illinois pacing champion is enjoying some much-needed rest and getting ready for his new upcoming second job.