16 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise Under cloudy skies and the threat of rain eight Illinois State Colt Fair Stakes champions were crowned Wednesday afternoon. It wasn’t until the tenth and final race of the Springfield program that more

15 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise Its showdown time today at the Springfield State Fair. . . weather permitting. Eight Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes Championships are scheduled to be decided Wednesday afternoon, four each in the 2 more

12 Aug 2018

Mike Paradise Driver Kyle Wilfong made his 1,000 visit to a winner’s circle Saturday afternoon and it had to be one of most memorable for the 27-year-old Illinois native. Wilfong’s victory with You’remyhearthrob in the more

11 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise Saturday’s Springfield State Fair harness racing card took on a whole new look when yesterday’s scheduled program was called off because the racetrack was a no-go after a heavy rainstorm and instead more

10 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise While there are a number of empty stalls this weekend in Hawthorne’s barns, just the opposite can be said at the Illinois state capitol’s Fairgrounds, where an abundance of ICF pacers and more

9 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise The focus on Illinois harness racing turns Friday to Springfield, where six of the eight Illinois State Colt Fair- Colt Stakes eliminations or preps will be conducted. Post time every race day more

5 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise Bucklegirl Bobette, the queen of the Illinois bred mare pacing division was hammered down like she was a sure thing last night and she proved to be just that, winning in easy more

4 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise The reigning queen of the ICF pacing mare division is back home. The Rob Rittof stable’s Bucklegirl Bobette heads up Saturday evening’s $10,000 Open Pace for fillies and mares, a class she more

3 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise The Terry Leonard stable’s Trashytonguetalker returns to Hawthorne Friday night after a two month absence, because the 6-year-old pacer was simply too good for competition in the early portion of the summer more

2 Aug 2018

By Mike Paradise A week ago we took a look at how things have shaped up in the various Night of Champion stake series for ICF freshman pacers and trotters with two rounds completed. We more

29 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise The third legs of Sunday’s two Dygert stakes for ICF 3-year-old trotters should answer some questions in both Night of Champion series events. Who will emerge as the sole leader in the more

28 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise The only thing definite thus far in the Night of Champions Plum Peachy series is that that after two legs of the ICF 3-year-old filly pacing a stick out has not has more

27 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise By now the 3-year-old ICF pacer Fox Valley Gemini might be thinking that when his race is over a stop for a winner’s picture is automatic before he gets to go back more

26 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise We reached the half-way point last weekend in the race for a starting berth in the Night of Champions 2-year-old stake series. There’s still two more legs to go to reach a more

22 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise Sunday night’s round two of the Night of Champions series for ICF 2-year-old trotters of both sexes brings about an interesting first-time match-up in the second Kadabra stake division for colts and more

21 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise Incredible Finale’s first leg winners Meyer On Fire and Frontier Muffler can likely wrap-up a starting berth in September’s state-bred ICF 2-year-old pacing filly championship with a victory in Saturday night’s second more

20 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise It’s been three weeks since the first legs of the Incredible Tillie stake series have been raced and a lot of things can change in the freshman filly pace series in that more

19 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise A number of ICF freshman pacers and trotters last Saturday and Sunday showed they could be major players in the second legs of Hawthorne’s Night of Champions stake series that get under more

15 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise Tyler Shehan is in his third season competing at Hawthorne and the Kentucky native is having his best local meeting, currently in the Top Five in the driver colony. The 35-year-old Shehan more

14 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise While a pair of Opens, one for trotters and the other for pacing filly and mares are the center of attention on Saturday’s Hawthorne card a number of ICF youngsters of both more

13 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise Back-to-back Open Pace affairs are the showcase events on Hawthorne’s Friday night program, with three stables sending out one of their top-notch horses in each and another barn with three stout candidates more

12 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise This week’s Thursday evening Hawthorne card got a huge boost, when the Race Office moved an ICF 3-year-old colt and gelding pace to it. With the third leg of the Night of more

8 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise Robert Silberberg’s Walter White showed his back class Saturday night in Hawthorne’s $10,000 Open Trot and put an end to the 3-5 favorite Anna’s Lucky Star’s three-race winning streak. Driver Kyle Husted more

7 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise There’s no place like home for the ICF trotting filly Anna’s Lucky Star, The 9-5 morning line favorite in Saturday night’s Open Trot feature at Hawthorne brings a gaudy record in home more

6 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise The John Zawistowski Stable’s Fresh Cut, will try to buck the odds and overcome the outside nine-slot in Friday night’s headliner and get a repeat victory in the sixth race Open Pace more

5 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise When The Mike Roger Stable’s E L Game On knocked off Violet champion Heidi High (Kyle Wilfong), last week in an opening leg of the Fox Valley Flan stake series, the always more

1 Jul 2018

By Mike Paradise You can draw a circle around the names Yankee Joanie and Fox Valley Halsey after those two ICF freshman pacing fillies came through Saturday night with victories in their respective $12,500 first more

30 Jun 2018

By Mike Paradise There’s something on the plate Saturday night at Hawthorne for ICF pacers of all ages This season’s crop of state-bred 2-year-old pacing fillies will begin their march towards the Night of Champions more

29 Jun 2018

By Mike Paradise The first step to a starting berth in the Incredible Finale stake final on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions begins Friday night for Illinois conceived and foaled 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings. A more

28 Jun 2018

By Mike Paradise Illinois conceived and foaled 2-year-olds will take over the public’s attention this week at the Hawthorne summer meet beginning with Thursday night. The first leg of the Fox Valley Flan stake series more