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Lou’s Legacy a proud papa

 Lou’s Private Eye (Casey Leonard) was one of six ISFCS elimination winners Friday sired by Lou’s Legacy. (Terry Young photo) 


By Mike Paradise for the I.H.H.A.  

 

  The Flacco Family Farms reigning Illinois champion sire Lou’s Legacy must be a very proud papa. Six of the eight Illinois State Fair Colt Stake eliminations were won by his sons or daughters Friday afternoon at Springfield.

 

  Moving on to next Thursday’s ISFCS championships were “Lou’s” offspring’s What A Legacy (Kyle Wilfong), Fox Valley Tiegen (Marcus Miller), Whiskey Lou (Casey Leonard), Louise’s Legacy (Marcus Miller), Mustang Danny (Casey Leonard) Lous Mandalorian (Tais Seekman) and Lous Private Eye (Casey Leonard).

 

 The two non-Lou’s Legacy elimination winners were the 3-year-old filly Fox Valley Tiegen (Marcus Miller), a daughter of Can’t Afford It, and Charles Arthur’s homebred Class Included filly High Class Heidi (Juan Franco) who popped at 57-1 and paid a whopping $115.60. The longshot’s 2:00.3 winning time was nearly an astonishing eight seconds off his previous best.

 

 A quartet of 2-year-old colt and gelding elims were contested and only the first two finishers in each event were assured of making the $55,000 championship.

 

 The Walker family’s homebred Battlin Bob made it 4-for-4 lifetime and looked strong doing it. The Somestarsomewhere gelding, out of the former champion mare Bucklegirl Bobette, breezed in a snappy 1:53.3, knocking almost three full seconds off his previous best time. Fox Valley Pepper was the runner-up.

 

 The Tom Simmons stable’s Fox Valley Vitali (Casey Leonard) followed and tied an Illinois season mark for freshman with a robust 1:53.1 clocking. Peace Star (Kyle Husted) was second.

 

 If those first pair of juvenile elimination conquerors were impressive, what can be said by the winning performance in the third heat by the Minnesota invader Cash Money Twenty, Casey’s sixth winner of the day. Now trained by Springfield Mike Brink, the Stevensville gelding rattled off a sizzling 1:51.2 mile and did it with authority.

 

 The second-place horse PD’s Diamond Hope (Wyatt Avenatti) cut very swift fractions of 25.4, 54.3 and 1:23.3 but was no match Friday for the winner who drew off.

 

  Travis Seekman nailed down a “driving triple” on the card when he steered the Rob Rittof trained Fox Valley Mamba to a 1:54.1 maiden win in the fourth elim. Also making the final was the runner-up Captain Nate (Marcus Miller).

 

 The other Friday elimination winners were RK’s Mack (Casey Leonard), Beautybythebeach (Marcus Miller) and Thebeautifulthing (Kyle Husted), all in the 2-year-old filly pacing division.

 

 More on the Menu: It’s day two at the Fairgrounds in Springfield to determine the finalists for next Thursday’s Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes championships and the 3-year-old pacing filly category came up especially strong.

 

 With 23 state-bred gals entered for its ISFCS eliminations, three divisions were necessary to be raced Saturday. The first three finishers in each will move along to its final along with one fourth place finisher. She’ll be determined by a draw.

 

 The highly regarded Hypeyourbestieup (Travis Seekman) from the Jamaica Patton stable should have no trouble advancing. She’s riding a two-race wining streak and is 4 for 6 in her second season

 

 The Terry Leonard stable’s Dandy’s Ms Swifty (Casey Leonard) looks to be in great shape a race later. The Stevenville prodigy is in peak form and will be a heavy favorite to make it three wins in a row.

 

 However, the fifth race third split doesn’t have a “stick out.” Far from it. Three of the best fillies in the division—Fox Valley Sadie (Kyle Husted), Amy Mooss (Matt Avenatti) and Ticktock Ticktock (Marcus Miller)—will go to the starting gate alongside each other.

 

  Violet champion Amy Mooss, from the barn of Dane May, and the stake’s runner-up Fox Valley Sadie, trained by Amy Husted, both are looking for their fourth season triumph while the Erv Miller stable’s Ticktock Ticktock is fresh off a victory at The Red Mile.                     

 

 Gorgeous Big Guy (Marcus Miller) and Guitar Man (Travis Seekman), the two highest rated 3-year-old state bred male pacers drew into separate elimination divisions, so we’ll have to wait five days to see their anticipated match-up.

 

 Only a fifth-place finish or higher is needed to gain that division’s $45,000 showdown.

 

 ISFCS eliminations were not needed for the other 3-year-old ICF events or for older horses. Instead, prep races have been carded Saturday and since a start in an elim or prep is mandatory to compete in a championship, such Illinois past champions as He’zzz A Wise Sky, Fox Valley Gemini, Fox Valley Landen, Scoreboard Dandy, Fox Valley Exploit, Nico Man and Lousdobb will be in action on today’s 11 race program.

 

 Making her first start as a 5-year-old is the Curt Grummel trained Funky Wiggle, who missed most of last year’s campaign with lameness issues. The Lou’s Legacy filly was the 2023 Illinois Harness Horse of the Year.

 

 Funky Wiggle landed the rail and comes off a winning 1:57.1 qualifier with Kyle Husted, who drives today. Her stablemate Marvelous Mystery (p.p. 2, Kyle Wilfong) returns after a year off. Now four, she dominated her division as a 3-year-old, racking up 10 wins.

 

 Among their sixth race challengers is the talented 6-year-old mare Loulita (Casey Leonard) from the barn of Steve Searle. Another daughter of Lou’s Legacy, Loulita (p.p. 6) is in peak form, proving best in 3 of her 4 last starts, including a lifetime best clocking of 1:55.3 in mid-July at Du Quoin.


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