Illinois driver star Casey Leonard steered home three Downstate Classic first place finishers Wednesday at the Macon County Fair in Decatur, Illinois. (Photo courtesy of Perry Young)

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

The grandstand at the Macon County Fair facility was filled with enthusiastic fans yesterday witnessing eight divisions for three-year-old Illinois bred pacers and trotters

competing in the Downstate Classic on the Decatur, IL half-mile oval.

A total of $76,437 in purse money was distributed on the 10-race Big Ten Colt Association program, a record for the Decatur fair.

A pair of $8,279 state-bred sophomore filly trot divisions opened the card with Dawn Of Creation (Casey Leonard) coasting to almost a two length conquest in a not-too-quick time of 2:09.2 in the first grouping for trainer Mike Brink.

 

Dawn Of Creation led at every pole, trotting the first half in a leisurely 1:07.1, and coming the last half in 1:02 flat to take the first split for Illinois owners All Wright Racing of Morton and Mike Brink of Springfield.

Luling City, owned, trained, and driven by Jerome Daniels, rolled past the pacesetting Daisy’s Duchess to take the second division in 2:04. The Dejambro filly is now 2-for-2 this season.

Next up was their ICF male counterparts. All eyes in the $8,279 division were on Dennis Garner’s two-year-old champion Goomster, driven by his owner and trainer, and the son of Cassie didn’t disappoint the crowd. He was well in hand for his fifth consecutive triumph and his third this year.

Goomster took command before the half (1:02.3) and won by one and one-half lengths in 2:03.2 to make it 8-for-15 in his young career for his West Beloit, Illinois proprietor.

Youaint’nofool breezed for driver Jamal Denson in the second division in 2:04.3, more than seven lengths the best after his three foes all went off stride in the race. Roshun Trigg trained the winning gelding for Mississippi owner Laquinton Shavers.

Given an advantageous journey from driver Mike Rogers, the John Fletcher trained Fillys Revenge got her nose in front of Ashlee’s Lil Angel to prevail in the first filly pace with a 1:59 flat clocking for winning owner Stevanna Turner pf Argenta, Illinois.

Keen Cathy, from the ban of Terry Leonard and patiently handled by Casey Leonard, made up an astounding 23 lengths on the last half of a victorious 1:58.3 mile for her owner and breeder Jesse De Long of Clinton, Wisconsin.

Incredible Lorean was second, beaten more than one length, while One R Andis Star, who sizzled to fractions of 27 flat and 55.4 before reality set in, was a tiring third.

The Tom Simmons stable’s Fox Valley Steeler showed he could be a major player in the ICF sophomore colt division,

pacing wire-to-wire in a snappy 1:56.2, more than six lengths the best. Casey Leonard’s third winner of the day is owned by the Illinois quartet of Ann Schneider (Pittsfield), James Walton (Lincoln), and Carl Lacey and Benita Simmons, both of Springfield.

A heady drive from Juan Franco enabled Kage Daniel, owned by his breeder Carl Graham of Salem, Illinois, to rally for a 1:59.4 victory for conditioner Tom Graham Jr. in the second split, one length better than Fox Valley Cayman who was parked out much of the way by the pacesetting Foxman, the fourth-place finisher.