By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 

 

In an era where there’s year-long racing elsewhere in the country it’s not that unusual to see a driver reach the four-figure plateau in career dash winners rather quickly.

 

However, it’s still rare to see a trainer send out 1,000 winners in his or her career, especially in Illinois where the race dates have taken a substantial plunge for more than a decade.

 

Nevertheless, veteran Illinois circuit trainer Terry Leonard gave himself at belated birthday gift Tuesday—he was 72 last week—at the second Spring Preview at Springfield when his stable’s Illinois bred champion Fox Valley Gemini powered past in the second division of the male aged pace.

 

It was career triumph No. 55 in 108 starts, mostly in Opens, Invites and ICF stakes, for the eight-year-old Fox Valley Gemini, owned by Jim Ballinger of Aurora, Illinois.

 

For trainer Terry Leonard it’s been a lengthy but steady climb for the Harvard, Illinois native to reach 1,000 winners, a plateau that just a handful of current Prairie state conditioners have achieved—Tom Simmons, Nelson Willis, Perry Smith and Jim Eaton, are the others.

 

Terry ventured out on the Illinois circuit as a driver in the mid-1970s, a time when the state had nine racetracks conducting an extended Standardbred pari-mutuel meeting. Nowadays Hawthorne stands alone in the state with an extended meet where you can place a bet on its races.

 

The upcoming meeting on the State Fair Grounds at Springfield will again be non-wagering so sadly the first opportunity to make a bet on an Illinois harness race this year is September 9th, Hawthorne’s opening night.

 

The status of horse racing in Illinois has indeed changed since the son of the late Illinois Harness Hall of Fame horseman Bud Leonard began his long road to achieve the milestone of 1,000 winners, and most emphatically not for the better.

 

One of the strengths of the Leonard stable has been the barn’s consistency. For the last 10 years Terry has established a United States Trainer Rating (USTA) of over .300 with twice going over the .400 mark, in 2018 and 2019.

 

 

Terry was the leading trainer at last season’s Hawthorne meeting for the fifth time in the last six years, no small fete. His barn has produced numerous Illinois champions, headed by 2011 Illinois Horse of the Year Well To Do Guru and, of course, the ICF standout Fox Valley Gemini, three times voted the state’s No. 1 Standardbred and who Terry once called: “The best horse I’ve ever had; he’s the horse of a lifetime.”

 

Three divisions for ICF sophomore filly pacers kicked-off Tuesday’s Spring Preview with South Gate Sally (Jamaica Patton) taking the opener for trainer Mark Walker in 1:55.1, My Daddy’s Revenge (Mike Brink) going wire-to-wire in 1:58 for the Brink stable in the second and Amanda Bombae (Richard S Finn) winning the third split despite a break in the last turn with a 1:59 mile for owner and conditioner Russell Powell.

 

A trio of 3-year-old colt paces were won by the late rushing Super Taco (Juan Franco) for trainer Dossie Minor in 1:56.3; Fox Valley Cayman (1:58.3), driven by trainer Tom Simmons, and the Simmons Stable’s front-stepping Fox Valley Steeler (Casey Leonard) in a quick time of 1:52.2, the fastest mile in the history of a Springfield Spring Preview event.

 

In the first of two sophomore filly trots Dawn Of Creation, trained by her driver Mike Brink, breezed in 1:59.2 when Zena Lou (Casey Leonard) went off stride on the lead. Lou Sangreal (Travis Seekman) coasted to her second straight Preview victory (1:59.2) for conditioner Steve Searle in heat two.

 

Owned and trained by his driver Dennis Gardner, last season’s freshman champion Goomster again showed his heels to his competitors in the first 3-year-old colt trot, drawing off by a widening dozen lengths in 1:56.4.  In the second split Ain’t No Mojo (Wyatt Avenatti) was a repeat winner for trainer Kevin Miller with a career best 1:57.4 mile.

 

As expected, the Nick Prather trained Skeeter Machine (Travis Seekman) again captured the initial heat for aged pacing mares, this time in 1:55 flat. It was back-to-back wins for Seekman when he guided My Uptown Girl to a 1:58 clocking in the homebred mare’s season debut for trainer Gerald Hansen in the other division.

 

Arcadia Sportacular (Casey Leonard), from the barn of conditioner Rick Schrock, came on to take the first aged colt division while Fox Valley Gemini (1:55) was much the best in the second.

 

The aged mare trot saw Carroll Hays’ Reign And Shine (Jamaica Patton) led at every pole with a 1:57.4 mile while the older colt trot went in easy fashion again to Lousdobb (1:58.1), Casey Leonard’s fourth win on the 16-race card.

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 

Good things can eventually come to those who persevere though some rough times. You need not look any further than Julie Collins, the proud owner of last season’s champion Illinois bred two-year-old filly pacer Fox Valley Kia, as a spot-on example.

 

Growing up as a teenager in Highland, Indiana, about 20 miles from Balmoral Park, Julie would go with her dad to the far south Chicagoland racetrack to watch the horse’s race. As the years went by her love for horses only grew and her hope one day was to have her own horse.

 

However, as the years rolled by it appeared her fondest wish wasn’t meant to be.

 

Julie got married, raised four children as a single parent (one who overcame Leukemia), and she became a nurse, and not just any nurse but a traveling Covid nurse through the peak pandemic years.

 

Julie was in New Orleans when the pandemic was at its deadliest height there. Also, she made work stops in other states at the pinnacle of the lethal virus, sometimes wondering if she would ever come back home. All the while her “horse owning dream” was still in the back of her mind.

 

When the pandemic finally eased, Julie returned home and got reacquainted with Illinois horseman Phil Knox, who she dated a few years earlier.

 

Julie felt she earned enough money to give horse ownership a shot and her boyfriend, and trainer Phil, picked out two yearlings at the 2021 horse sales, each for $7,500—Buck Art, a Pennsylvania bred colt, at the Blood Horse Sale in Ohio, and a week later the same amount at the Walker Standardbred Sale in Sherman, Illinois for the filly Fox Valley Kia.

 

Buck Art did okay, making almost $12,000 as a freshman while on the other hand Julie hit the jackpot with filly Fox Valley Kia who raked-in $131,052 in her first 13 trips to the gate and came away with the richest prize of her division on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions with a victory in the $185,000 Incredible Tillie final.

 

“It was thrilling to watch her win the championship,” said Julie. “It was also a little terrifying. I worried about the filly, about Phil, and what would happen in the race.” And she realized there’s “so much money at stake.”

 

An admitted novice of our sport as a new horse owner, Julie has taken a year’s sabbatical from nursing and has been helping Phil with the horses (she bought two more yearlings last fall. Julie acknowledges she has a ferocious appetite to read “everything she can about harness racing.”

 

Being a horse owner also gave Julie a fresh perspective of the Standardbred industry. “I never knew there were so many wonderful people that were there for a newcomer like me,” said Julie. “When I became a horse owner all my friends were nurses. Now I also have lots of great horse friends.”

 

“Tom and Benita Simmons have been especially great,” said Phil. “They’ve helped us so much, always there if we needed something.”

 

Fox Valley Kia’s road to her first season success didn’t start out auspiciously. The filly was disqualified from second to fourth debuting at the Carrollton Fair with Knox. She did win a modest $1,428 pot in her second outing, and was third best the next time out, both at Springfield.

 

Fox Valley Kia’s first pari-mutuel start came at Hawthorne in late July where she managed a $600 check for Julie with a fifth-place finish. A week later the freshman pacer won at the Urbana fair. The filly started to show she had untapped ability when she prevailed in the Hawthorne $12,000 summer Incredible Tillie Consolation.

 

Another win at Mt. Sterling had the Somestarsomewhere filly primed for the Illinois State Fair at Springfield where Scott Nance took over as the listed trainer when Knox was serving a suspension by California stewards for a non-serious infraction.

 

It was at Springfield where “Kia” showed she was indeed a major force in her division. The filly won her Illinois State Colt Fair stake elimination and made it six straight triumphs with a season best 1:51.2 mile in the $30,000 final, both with Cordarius Stewart in the sulky.

 

A strong second place effort followed in the $50,000 Lt. Governor stake at the Du Quoin State Fair had her ready for a shot at Hawthorne’s $185,000 Night of Champions Incredible Tillie. The talented filly advanced to the championship with a second-place finish in her elimination, this time with Kyle Wilfong at her lines. Kyle took her right to the front in the championship where she led at every pole with a 1:51.4 clocking to the delight of Julie and Phil.

 

Fox Valley Kia’s first outing as a three-year-old will come on June 7th in the Downstate Classic at Decatur. A week later she’ll race in the three-year-old Violet pace at Springfield.

 

  Illinois Champ About Ready: Three-time Illinois Harness Horse of the Year Fox Valley Gemini is qualifying today at the Fair Grounds in Springfield for his initial pari-mutuel start as an eight-year-old. The Terry Leonard trained pacer has 53 career wins and earnings just under $697,000 for Atwater, Illinois owner Jim Ballinger.

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 

When Illinois horseman Kyle Husted last year designated his wife Amy as the stable’s listed trainer to give his wife some “recognition” she deserves, no one had any idea it would propel her into the Hawthorne harness racing annals.

 

“Amy is there at the barn every day training the horses. She does it all and I just help her. While we make decisions together, she is the boss, said Kyle. “That’s why I made the move to list her as the trainer.”

 

When the Hawthorne meet ended Amy finished on top of the trainer standings in her very first year as the Husted stable’s chief conditioner . . . and made history at the Chicago circuit racetrack.

 

Research show that the 27-year-old New York State native was the first women to win the trainer title in the 53 years Hawthorne has conducted harness racing.

 

“Wow, that’s awesome,” said the surprised young lady when informed of her accomplishment.”

 

It wasn’t until the last evening of the Hawthorne meet the trainer title was decided.

 

“Nerve-wracking is the best work to describe that night,” said Amy.

 

 

Amy and the Midwest division of the Erv Miller stable were tied going into closing night each won a final on the Night of Champions, one day earlier.

 

Amy’s hopes rode on the barn’s two-year-old ICF trotter Twin Cedars Alstar in the Kadabra Consolation who made breaks in his previous two starts at Hawthorne but earlier in the summer won comfortably at Springfield.

 

“Twin Cedar Alstar has bad feet,” continued Amy. “He liked the dirt track at Springfield. However, sometimes Hawthorne’s racing surface can be a little hard and he can have trouble with it. Fortunately for us, he handled the track well when Kyle won with him on closing night.”

 

Amy then had the sweat out two of the races that followed to stay on top of the standings.

 

“I used to work for Erv so all kind of things were going through my mind that night.”

 

The Miller stable’s Fox Valley Shania appeared to be a “lock” to compete in the Fox Valley Flan showdown after beating the eventual ICF two-year-old champion trotting filly Marvelous Mystery in both the Springfield and Du Quoin finals, however Shania went off-stride at 1 to 9 odds in her “Flan” elimination, finishing up the track.

 

Shania was once more a heavy favorite in the Consolation but again couldn’t stay flat for the mile and finished out of the money,

 

Next up was the Incredible Finale consolation for freshman ICF colt and gelding pacers where Fox Valley Patriot needed a win for Team Miller to tie Amy. Patriot performed well but ended up that night.

 

Finishing on top was “awesome” for the gal who has been around horses all her life.

 

Her father is the retired driver/trainer Jimmy Cruise Jr. Her month Robin is a Farrington. Her late uncle Bob Farrington is of Rambling Willie fame and her grandfather on her dad’s side is Jimmy Cruise Sr., both in the national Hall of Fame.

 

“I guess it was destined that I would have a career in the Standardbred industry, “quipped Amy.

 

“My parents divorced when I was about eight. My mom went to work for Erv Miller in New Jersey. I started jogging horses at 14 then worked for him and later for Tony Alagna.

 

Amy and Kyle met in New Jersey at a Halloween party, and she came to the Midwest five years ago to be with her future husband, working alongside him every morning,

 

The “Queen” of the Husted stable, hands down, is the now six-year-old mare Fox Valley Exploit who has a special place in Amy’s heart. “She’s creeping up in on a half-million dollars in lifetime earnings ($440,179). The mare always gives you her best.”

 

Fox Valley Exploit is a perfect four-for-four on Night of Champions. Only Fox Valley Gemini from the Terry Leonard stable has fared better, going six-for-six on Hawthorne’s gala evening of racing.

 

The pride of the stable is 2 for 7 on the east coast competing in the high conditioned ranks under the care of trainer Noel Dailey. “Last year she was really good out east early last year,” said Amy. “She made over $35,000 racing against some very good mares at the Meadowlands.