- Somestarsomewhere had Sparkling First Crop February 1, 2023
By Mike Paradise There are few out-and-out “locks” in harness racing however when it came to naming the 2022 Illinois Pacing Sire of the Year it looked to be “slam dunk” decision last month more
- Funky Wiggle’s Season Not Over October 7, 2022
By Mike Paradise The Illinois bred three-year-old filly trotter with the funny name and overflowing with talent will be Indiana bound later this month. The Curt Grummel stable’s record-breaking champion Funky Wiggle will compete more
- Toss-Up for ICF Juvenile Pacing Honors October 5, 2022
By Mike Paradise When USTA District 5 members make their upcoming selections for the 2022 year’s Illinois harness racing division honors they won’t have an easy task in the ICF two-year-old colt and gelding more
- Chupp’s Trotter Rocking at Springfield September 30, 2022
By Mike Paradise When the Merv Chupp Stable’s veteran trotter Pine Dream was retired prior to the 2022 racing season, his owner and conditioner faced a tough assignment replacing who I called the barn’s more
- Scorecard Dandy One Virtuous ICF Mare September 29, 2022
By Mike Paradise A horse’s four-year-old campaign is often a pivotal one. Many horses don’t do as well the first go around against older horses as they did as a three-year-old. Some do. Rarely more
- He’zzz Back September 23, 2022
By Mike Paradise Two-time defending Illinois Harness Horse of the Year He’zzz A Wise Sky returns to the races Thursday afternoon at Springfield after a two-week layoff to make his second start in the more
- It’s D Day for Illinois 2023 Race Dates September 22, 2022
By Mike Paradise It’s “D-Day” for Illinois horsemen. That “D” is for decision time by the Illinois Racing Board for allocation of both the Standardbred and thoroughbred racing dates for 2023. Unlike some more
- Don’t Overlook Lousdobb September 16, 2022
By Mike Paradise When the balloting gets under way later in the season for the 2022 Illinois Harness Horse of the Year, one of the prime contenders should be the gifted three-year-old trotter Lousdobb more
- Illinois Racing Moves to Springfield September 15, 2022
By Mike Paradise Illinois harness racing picks up where it left off at the Hawthorne meet with programs on two afternoons a week for the next three weeks on Springfield’s state fairgrounds. They’re more
- Wilfong “The Man” on Night of Champions September 11, 2022
By Mike Paradise Kyle Wilfong was “The Man” Saturday night, driving six winners on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions. The 31-year-old Illinois native also had four of his horses finish second on the 12-race card. more
- Spotlight on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions September 10, 2022
By Mike Paradise The curtain is coming down on Hawthorne’s 2022 Standardbred meeting but before it does there’s over $1.2 million in purse money on the line in Saturday’s Night of Champions with 12 more
- “Spider-man’s” Horses Ready at Right Time September 9, 2022
By Mike Paradise Illinois based horseman Nelson Willis has been around a long time and like many veteran trainers he knows to have his horses as sharp as possible at the right time more
- Like it says, “you just never know.” September 8, 2022
By Mike Paradise It’s been said hundreds of times “you just don’t know what will happen in a horse race” and last weekend’s Night of Champions eliminations at Hawthorne demonstrated it once again. more
- NOC Finalists Decided; Wilfong Shines September 4, 2022
By Mike Paradise The filly and mare finalists for next Saturday’s Night of Champions were determined last night at Hawthorne with elimination races in three Illinois bred stake divisions. However, the star of more
- Which Gals will Advance to NOC Finals? September 3, 2022
By Mike Paradise It’s “Girls Night Out.” We’re talking about the four-legged kind for Saturday night. A portion of Hawthorne’s ten race card will determine which freshman filly pacers and trotters will be more
- ICF Freshman Exceeding Expectations September 2, 2022
By Mike Paradise As I flipped a page on my calendar to today’s date, I couldn’t help but think “where does the time go.” It’s already September and there’s just two weeks left at more
- Who’ll Past their NOC Elimination Test? September 1, 2022
By Mike Paradise To go to the “Big Dance” you need an invitation. Likewise, to get into Hawthorne’s Night of Champions finals you need to pass your elimination test to be invited. In more
- Talk About Easy Open Wins August 29, 2022
By Mike Paradise Illinois bred veteran trotter Talk About Valor continued his season dominance at Hawthorne while the Australian bred newcomer Im Sir Blake A, showed his Aussie back class in his local debut more
- Records Fall on Du Quoin’s Championship Day August 28, 2022
By Mike Paradise With a hot summer day (86 degrees) with a high humidity (89%), there was plenty of horses, horsemen and racing fans perspiring at Saturday’s Du Quoin State Fair meet and that’s more
- Du Quoin Championships on the Line August 27, 2022
By Mike Paradise It’s Championship Day at the Du Quoin State Fair nestled in the southern tip of Illinois. Rich in tradition and boasting a fast one-mile racing strip on its fairgrounds, ten ICF more
- Miller Stable Looks to Double Up at Du Quoin August 26, 2022
By Mike Paradise With two Illinois State Fair championships on their recent list of accomplishments, the Midwest Division of the Erv Miller Stable, operated by Atlee Bender and his wife Hanna Miller, look to more
- Rock It Out Courageous and Determined Mare August 20, 2022
By Mike Paradise Donna Holt’s Rock It Out, the pre-race favorite in tonight’s $12,300 featured Open Pace and fillies and mares, has shown plenty of tenacity on the race track this year, pacing a more
- Mystery Solved; Eight Champions Crowned August 19, 2022
By Mike Paradise Under ideal weather conditions (sunny and 81 degrees), eight state-bred Standardbreds were crowned Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes champions Thursday afternoon on a tip-top racing surface. Here’s how things unfolded more
- Who’ll Go Home as a ISFCS Champion? August 18, 2022
By Mike Paradise Summer if flying by much too fast. It’s already the final day of racing this season at the Illinois State Fair which means Hawthorne has less than a month of more
- Senior Favorites Fizzle on U. of I. Day August 14, 2022
By Mike Paradise It was the University of Illinois Day at the 2022 State Fair while on the racetrack the focus was on the “Senior Citizens” of the state-bred Standardbred colony. Four Illinois more
- It’s Senior Day at Springfield August 13, 2022
By Mike Paradise While the top ICF three-year-olds pacers are prepping this afternoon for next week’s Illinois State Fair Colt Stake showdowns, the older state bred horses will be competing in a quartet of more
- Spotlight on Springfield and Apple Valley August 12, 2022
By Mike Paradise The Illinois Standardbred spotlight shines on Springfield today and Saturday. The 10-race Friday card will have eight elimination events for ICF two-year-olds of both sexes and gaits along with a more
- Steady as She Goes for Fox Valley Exploit August 7, 2022
By Mike Paradise There’s an old saying that “Consistency is the Key to Success.” It certainly is in horse racing and Kyle Husted’s Fox Valley Exploit is a great example of the idiom. more
- A July to Remember for Trainer Curt Grummel August 6, 2022
By Mike Paradise July of 2022 is one month Illinois trainer Curt Grummel will never forget. The 50-year-old horseman sent out not one but two of the recent $50,000 summer champions at Hawthorne. more
- Rested He’zzz A Wise Sky Returns August 5, 2022
By Mike Paradise It’s a rare weekend at Hawthorne without any ICF stake races on the next couple of cards. With Springfield opening six days from now much of the state-bred freshman crop more
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