Dream (Juan Franco) came on strong in the stretch to win her Illinois bred series leg last weekend at Hawthorne. (Four Footed Fotos)

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 Round two of the series for ICF 2 or 3-year-old horses without $20,000 in lifetime earnings takes over the spotlight at Hawthorne Saturday night.

 Leg one did produce some surprise winners most notably the Jamaica Patton stable’s Frontier Fantasy, driven by Juan Franco who dead heated with Itty Bitty Secret (Wyatt Avenatti) at 23-1 odds despite making a break in his race.

 Also, the pre-series favorite Fox Valley Ramiro (Casey Leonard) came up short at 1-2 odds after a month off and Western Trevor took advantage and won with a new lifetime mark of 1:57.3 for trainer Roshun Trigg. Western Trevor got a skillful inside trip from driver Travis Seekman last week leaving from the pole position, however tonight he’s on the outside (post nine) looking in at his eight foes.

 Western Trevor takes on the one-two series finishers Who’zzz This Sky (Todd Warren) and Fox Valley Boxer (Travis Seekman) in his ninth race second division for Illinois bred male pacers.

 The Triple ZZZ stable’s Who’zzz This Sky, a full brother to the talented He’zzz A Wise Sky, had only two victories over the past two seasons before trainer John Filomeno put the 3-year-old on Lasix in early November. The gelding hasn’t missed a purse check since in six starts on the bleeder medication and has racked up wins in his last two aces.

 The most impressive first leg series win belongs to the 3-year-old filly Dream from the barn of Springfield based trainer Mike Brink. As the season went on the Somestarsomewhere filly, out of the broodmare Hello My Dream, has got better and better.

 Last weekend the filly raced eighth and last through a slow 1:01 first half for driver Juan Franco and seemed out of it. Dream was still seventh, five lengths behind with a quarter of mile to go, when she went into another gear down the stretch to win by almost one length in 1:59. Her 27.1 last panel came on chilly evening with the temperature in the low 20’s.

 Dream had now been victorious in 3 of her last 6 trips to the starting gate that also includes a second, third and fourth, and has a mark of 1:54.1 at Hawthorne.

 Bred by her co-proprietor Ed Teefey, who shares ownership with trainer Mike Brink and Mark Brown (Chatham, IL) and Jeff Clauson (Macomb, IL), Dream will open as the 8-5 favorite in race five when she takes on Two Bean Dream, Fox Valley Tatum, Itty Bitty Secret, Illini Treacherous, We Are Family, Revenge Rosie and Jimmlai.

 The Illinois bred series for trotters, race two on the nine-race card, is a rematch between the one-two finishers in leg one—Lou’s Miracle (Wyatt Avenatti) and Scorecard Lil Red (Juan Franco). Avenatti found racing room with Lou’s Miracle at the right time in last week’s 2:02.4 mile to defeat the 6-5 favorite by one length for trainer Steve Searle.