Rmissashlee (Wyatt Avenatti) goes after a sweep of her Jingle Bell series legs Friday night. (Four Foot Fotos).

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 Hawthorne’s Jingle Bell Series has been a winner with the racetrack and horsemen alike. Entries have been abundant for both pacing fillies and the mares and colts and geldings’ divisions and the good size fields have benefitted the mutuel handle.

 So, what do you do when you have a good thing going? Hawthorne’s Race Office answer: You add to it. Friday’s third legs have company tonight with the addition of a Jingle Bell series start-up for trotters.

 Whether it was done to add to the Christmas spirit, or those were just the races that filled, all eight of Friday’s events are for Jingle Bell horses; three for the pacing gals, three for the guys, and four trotters of both sexes.

 In fact, Friday’s opener is the first $7,000 division for diagonally gaited horses. It’s likely the favoritism will go to a pair of Lou’s Legacy offspring, Lou’s Amazon (Casey Leonard) who opens at 2-1, and Lous Mandalorian (Travis Seeman), the 3-1 first flash second choice.

  They’ll be challenged by Mariah Lou (Wyatt Avenatti), Stylish Grace (Jordan Patton), Omaha Storm Chaser (Kyle Wilfong), Fashion Baby (Cordarius Stewart), Helpful Nonna (Juan Franco) and Lou’s Di Nomite (Mike Oosting).

 The second division of the new trotting series goes as race four with the two inside horses Blazin Grace (Todd Warren) and Scorecard Lil Red (Juan Franco) opening up at 3-1 and 7-2, respectively in the nine-horse field. Scorecard Lil Red, a 3-year-old from the barn of Gregory Gain, was the third-place finisher in Hawthorne’s recent Illinois bred series final that concluded last weekend.

 Illini Diva (Matt Avenatti), Affection (Kyle Wilfong), Ally Baba (Travis Seekman), Noble Prize (Robert Smolin), De Storm Warrior (Geremy Bobbitt) Dashing Durango (Jordan Patton) and Rockefeller Lindy (Wyatt Avenatti), with posts 3 through 9, complete the field.

 Interestingly, Triple ZZZ stable’s Who’zzz This Sky (Todd Warren), a game second six nights ago in the ICF series final for male pacers, is the morning line’s prohibitive even-money choice in the first (race two) Jingle Bell for male pacers.

 Marshall Malone, driven tonight by Mike Oosting, heads up for fifth race second male split. The 5-year-old gelding has breezed in his first pair of Jingle Bell outings. His chief challengers appear to be Edgar Herrera’s Shipwrecked (Juan Franco) who was beaten less than two lengths from the 9-hole despite a wide mile and has the pole position tonight, and Grand Champ (Casey Leonard), a front-stepping winner in 1:54.4, a new lifetime mark for the 3-year-old Michael Perrin trainee.

The third colt and gelding grouping brings out earlier Jingle Bell series victors Too Infinity (Kyle Husted) and Allegheny Hanover (Kyle W ilfong) in race seven. Fox Valley Presley (Casey Leonard) and Gallant Attribute (Travis Seekman) are expected to get a lot of play, as well.

 The Ronnie Roberts trained Rmissashlee eyes a sweep of the series legs for distaffers and looks to be in good shape to do so with the rail in third race, Friday’s initial split for the gals.

 The Terry Leonard stable’s Fillister Photo (Casey Leonard) makes her first appearance in the series third leg where she’s pitted against eight others including the early favorite Fox Valley Exploit (Kyle Husted). The 7-year-old former Illinois champ is a purse check away from going over a half million dollars in lifetime earnings.  

 The last of Friday’s filly and mare series legs takes place on the eighth and last race of the night where favoritism looks to be divided between the rail horse Rollnroz (Casey Leonard), a series leg winner from the one-slot; Amy Mooss, a beaten favorite a week ago when she raced first over and ended up second best, and JD’s Queen Lori (Kyle Wilfong), who got pushed back last week as the betting favorite in her series leg.