Downstate Classic freshman filly champion Wildcat Abby (Casey Leonard) goes after her 8th win in her 11th season start in a division of Tuesday’s First Lady Cup at Du Quoin. (Al Brodsky Photo)

 By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 It’s Championship Day at the Du Quoin State Fair and the number of Illinois bred horses to be crowned is certainly plentiful. A total of 15 pacers or trotters will come away with the status as a titleholder in his or her division.

 The reason for the abundance of championships is that most of the added money events were split into two divisions. The lengthy card will test your handicapping skills since the four two-year races will have two or three trailers in each, making them 11 or 12 horse fields.

 After today’s championships are concluded, some interesting questions will be answered, such as:

 *With several inexperienced 2-year-old olds starting behind some horses for the first time, will any of their races be affected and to what degree.

 *Will Gorgeous Big Guy (Marcus Miller) extend his winning streak to 13 in a row? The 3-year-old Erv Miller trainee has never lost a race to an Illinois bred pacer.

   *Can Cut Grummel’s Whiskey Lou stay perfect in her sophomore season? The Lou’s Legacy filly is 7-for-7 in 2024 and gets a rare inside post today for driver Casey Leonard?

  *Will the 2-year-old gelding Cash Money Twenty (Casey Leonard) follow his dazzling seven-plus length win in his Illinois debut with another 1:51 and change clocking in a division of the Director’s Cup?

 *Unbeaten in six starts this season on a mile track, can the Flacco Family Farms reigning division champ Lous Private Eye keep that achievement intact despite leaving from the middle of his field with five trotters starting inside of him and another five going out to his right?

 *Is the Jamaica Patton trained Hypeyourbestieup (Travis Seekman) sharp enough to prevail for the fourth consecutive time moving further outside with the seven-hole in her 3-year-old division of the Time Dancer?

 *Can the Husted Stable’s Fox Valley Sadie overcome a start in the second tier, avoiding possible traffic problems and follow her nine-length romp at Springfield with her tenth win in 17 lifetime starts? In her last Illinois start she dominated with a career fastest 1:51.1 clocking from the two-post.

 *Will three-time Illinois Harness Horse of the Year Fox Valley Gemini with 63 lifetime victories and more than $760,000 in purse earnings, go off as the longest shot in the aged male pacing showdown as predicted in the morning line? He’s listed at 15-1.

  Repeat Winners: Marvelous Mystery (Marcus Miller) and Niko Man (John De Long) followed their Springfield victories in the ICF aged trotting divisions with triumphs in the same divisions at the Du Quoi State Fair,

  The 4-year-old mare Marvelous Mystery followed her Curt Grimmel stable-mate Funky Wiggle through three consecutive 28 quarters and overtook the 2022 Illinois Horse of the year in the late going of the 1:52.3 mile.

 Niko Man found racing room at the top of the late and breezed to a four-length triumph in 1:55.1 for trainer Ken Rucker in the male division. Lousraptor (Chris Brown) trotted a big effort to be second best.