Our Stars Didn’t Align Correctly

By Mike Paradise

You’ve either seen or read countess times the phrase “The Stars Aligned Just Right” when a favorable outcome came to fruition. Unfortunately that’s not the case concerning the stars of the ICF three-year-old male pacing division.

The eagerly awaited dual between the division’s two brightest stars—Fox Valley Ren and He’zzz A Wise Sky—didn’t materialize as many of us had hoped and instead the two gifted pacers will go their separate ways in tonight’s $15,000 third round of the Robert F. Carey Memorial stake series.

Last year’s two-year-old Night of Champions winner He’zzz A Wise Sky (Bobby Smolin) drew into the sixth race first Carey division while the 2019 ICF Two-Year-Old Colt of the Year Fox Valley Ren looks like a lock to stay unbeaten as a sophomore in the eighth race second split.

So we’ll have to wait for another time to see the division’s crème de crème battle it out. If you’re keeping score this year it’s Fox Valley Ren Two, He’zzz a Wise Sky Zero.

The Nelson Willis trained Fox Valley Ren beat his Don Filomeno trained rival in the first Carey leg and then again in last month’s Cardinal match-up. Both wins were by less than one length.

He’zzz A Wise Sky landed the outside six-post tonight but it probably won’t matter. The home-bred stayed sharp for tonight’s $15,000 stake with a big effort last Saturday against the very best older pacers at the meet. He was raced easy in seventh or eighth for the first three-quarters before unleashing a rapid 26.1 last quarter to be fourth, pacing in 1:51.3.

Awaiting He’zzz A Wise Sky is (from the one-slot out: Illini Force (Ridge Warren), Canadian Mountie (Casey Leonard), Western Perch (Kyle Wilfong), Hello Rooster (Cordarius Stewart) and Chick Magnet (Todd Warren).

He’zzz A Wise Sky has raked-in over $100,000 in just 13 lifetime starts for Triple Zzz Stables of Justice, Illinois.

Chalk Up Another? Fox Valley Ren (Kyle Wilfong) could be at 1 to 9 by the time the starting gate starts rolling in race eight. The Sportsmaster gelding is four-for-four this season with a trio if stakes triumphs and landed the pole position for owners Megan Rogers Stable of Chicago,

Fox Valley Ren stayed in top form for tonight’s stake with a winning 1:54.2 qualifier (26.2 last panel) six nights ago where he zipped past the top three-year-old Illinois bred filly pacer Fox Valley Exploit.

Looking to rack-up as many series points as possible are Fox Valley Ren’s five Friday foes: L L Gram (Cordarius Stewart), Patton Plus (Dale Knox), RG’s Tracer (Travis Seekman), Ryans Ambassador (James Molitor), Bagman (Todd Warren), and RJ Wulfy (Juan Franco).

Going into tonight’s third round of the Carey the standings are: Fox Valley Ren (100), He’zzz A Wise Sky (75), Illini Force (30), RG’s Racer (26), Bagman (20), Chick Magnet (17), Ryans Ambassador (13), Patton Plus (9), RJ Wulfy (8), Hello Rooster (6), Canadian Mountie (1), L L Gram (1), Ole Slot Machine (1) and Western Perch (1).

Rained-Out: The Springfield weatherman hasn’t been cooperative subsequently the 17 ICF races first scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and then moved to Wednesday had to be canceled at the State Fairgrounds. A new make-up date for those two and three-year-old races have yet to be announced.