Chickabell, a winner of 2 of her last 3 outings, is one the favorites in the new Jingle Bell series for pacing fillies and mares that will get under way Friday. (Patricia Fryman Photography)  

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 Since the Christmas holidays are fast approaching maybe it was only fitting that the Hawthrone Race Office named their latest new series the “Jingle Bell.” This one is not restricted to Illinois breds and will be contested on consecutive Fridays with a $15,000 final on December 27th.

 It's for open company horses with a Trackmaster Rating of 75 or less (76 for ICF pacers). Leg one for Friday’s card lured sufficient horses to go with a trio of divisions with a $7,000 pot on the line in each.

 The response for the Jingle Bell series from horsemen was overwhelming. Six of the nine races on Friday’s card are leg one divisions, three each for colts or geldings and another threesome for filly pacers.

 On tap Saturday at Hawthorne are the second legs of the Illinois bred series that got underway last weekend.

 Friday’s feature is the seventh race $9,100 Open Pace with a 10-horse field. Back in competition is He’zzz A Wise Sky (Kyle Wilfong) and he’s on Lasix for the first time. The defending ICF aged horse of the year landed the eight slot for trainer John Filomeno and the 7-year-old Yankee Skyscraper stud comes off a 1:55.2 winning qualifier raced a week ago.

  He’zzz A Wise Sky has 56 career victories with 20 of them coming over the last two seasons for Triple ZZZ Stable of Beecher, Illinois. One million dollars in purse earnings is within reach for the homebred who has $826,574 on his card and shows no signs of declining.

 He’zzz A Wise Sky will have to hold off a trio of talented pacers from the Perry Smith stable—Round Here Buzz (Travis Seekman), Truffle Dog (Jordan Patton) and Mustang Beach (Juan Franco).

 Round Here Buzz (p.p. 9) won Hawthorne’s November 15th Open, and a week later stablemate Truffle Dog (p.p. 10) proved best in the local Open

 Last weekend’s Open went to the Dave Avenatti stable’s Great Seats (Wyatt Avenatti) his 10th triumph of the season. The 4-year-old Sweet Lou gelding will leave from the seven slot. He’s the only horse in the field with two Open victories this season at Hawthorne.

 The pole position belongs to Quixote from the barn of Mike Brink. The 4-year-old son of Captaintreacherous has banked over $100,000 this year. Posts two through six will be manned by Away We Go A (Marcus Miller), Mustang Beach (Juan Franco), Fox Valley Langley (Geremy Bobbitt), Intimidation (Todd Warren) and Captain Sleaze (Robert Smolin).

 The Open was drawn by groups (1-2) (3-6) (7-10). Interestingly, while Quixote drew for either post one or two, he’s the 3-1 morning line favorite and owns a 1:50 flat clocking this year, taken this summer at Hoosier Park.