Lou’s My Number’s (Casey Leonard) win in the Violet stake reinforced her as the 2024 Illinois 2-year-old filly trotter of the year. (Four Footed Footed)

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 The phrase “like mother, like daughter” is a well-known idiom that in this case is being used to how a filly trotter has shown she has inherited the traits of her dam in a successful way.

 You don’t often see a mother and her daughter both come up victorious in their most important race of their career however that rare feat was accomplished on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions when the Steve Searle trained Lou’s My Number captured the Fox Valley Flan Final.

 The daughter of Searle’s Ants Iner Pants broodmare then one-upped her mom by going on to be named the best in the 2-year-old ICF filly trotting division with track record performances with regular driver Casey Leonard in the both the $144,637 “Flan” championship and in the $98,744 Violet final two weeks later.

 “Just amazing,” quipped Searle. “To have them both win on the Night of Champions eight years apart is significant for me. Ants Iner Pants was the first real good horse that me and my father-in-law Tom Wisnieski owned and bred.”

 Ants Iner Pants came off the pace in 2016 with Kyle Husted in the bike to capture the $50,000 Plesac stake. The Band’s Gold Chip mare raced from 2011 through $2017 for Searle and earned $300,706, a hefty sum for an Illinois bred trotter at that time. She chalked up 30 lifetime victories and went against some good state-bred mares like Sara The Spy, Trot Fudge Sunday, Macie Rae 

 “She had to race against some real good Illinois bred males, too,” continued Steve, referring to trotters like Picky Picky Valor, Rock Hollywood, Tricky Dick and Fox Valley Veto.

 Just like her mom, and any Searle trained trotting youngster that showed early ability, Lou’s My Number followed the path of gaining experience at the County fairs, followed by Springfield and Du Quoin events, and then the bigger stakes at Balmoral or Hawthorne.

 “She had to successfully achieve my three goals with young trotters: One, stay trotting. Two, get a (purse) check, and then 3, win a race. She passed those tests pretty quickly when she won a division of the First Lady in her third career start.”

 A trio of bridesmaid finishes at Springfield followed in the $55,000 Illinois Department of Agriculture championship, a leg of the Fox Valley Flan, and an ICF juvenile contest during last October, Lous My Number ended her first season with three consecutive stake victories in November over her chief freshman rivals Kays In Charge and What A Legacy, posting $168,353 in purse earnings for Searle, and his partners Michael Buzzard, Chris Paloma, and Michael Paloma.

 “In her wins on the Night of Champions and in the Violet she trotted in track record times (156.4 and 1:56.2) for an Illinois bred 2-year-old trotting filly,” added Steve.

 
 “When Casey pulled her out for the stretch drive in the Violet, that was the fastest last sixteenth by a ICF freshman filly trotter that I ever seen,” added the proud horseman.

 Lou’s My Number, one of four trotters to win on 2024 Night of Champions, has started preparation for her sophomore season.

 “She’s gone in 2:30 as of now,” said Steve. “I’m in no rush with her. I recently made her eligible for this summer Downstate Classic, and of course she’s nominated to the stake races at Springfield, Du Quoin and Hawthorne.”