Archived Notes and Quotes

By Mike Paradise   When a young filly wins 10 of her 12 freshman starts, multiple state-bred stakes, earns over $130,000, and goes on to be named the Illinois Two-Year-Old Filly Trotter of the Year, more

By Mike Paradise   Mississippi native Cordarius Stewart has set a goal for himself going into the 2023 racing season and it’s the same as last year’s: “I want to get my driver average and more

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA   While most follow in the footsteps of family members to become a horseman, there are some that take a more unfamiliar route to get a driver or trainer’s more

By Mike Paradise for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association   What statistics determine whether a trainer did a stellar job with his or her horses in their barn? Money won? Number of victories?   Maybe, more

By Mike Paradise, for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association Covering harness racing in Illinois for the last fifty years I’ll admit there were plenty of times I silently rooted for the underdog to win a more

By Mike Paradise   Nowadays it’s a near certainty when it comes to the naming of the Illinois Trotting Sire of the Year. For the fifth year in a row and the sixth in the more

By Mike Paradise   Should she keep racing, or step down from her throne?  That question pertains to the fate of long-time Illinois trotting queen Annas Lucky Star.   Was 2022 the last year of more

By Mike Paradise   The 2022 ICF Champion Aged Horse Pacer He’zzz A Wise Sky saw his winter plans change but I’m sure the former two-time Illinois Horse of the Year doesn’t mind.   “I more

By Mike Paradise   There are few out-and-out “locks” in harness racing however when it came to naming the 2022 Illinois Pacing Sire of the Year it looked to be “slam dunk” decision last month more

By Mike Paradise   The Illinois bred three-year-old filly trotter with the funny name and overflowing with talent will be Indiana bound later this month.  The Curt Grummel stable’s record-breaking champion Funky Wiggle will compete more

By Mike Paradise   When USTA District 5 members make their upcoming selections for the 2022 year’s Illinois harness racing division honors they won’t have an easy task in the ICF two-year-old colt and gelding more

By Mike Paradise   When the Merv Chupp Stable’s veteran trotter Pine Dream was retired prior to the 2022 racing season, his owner and conditioner faced a tough assignment replacing who I called the barn’s more

By Mike Paradise   A horse’s four-year-old campaign is often a pivotal one. Many horses don’t do as well the first go around against older horses as they did as a three-year-old. Some do. Rarely more

By Mike Paradise   Two-time defending Illinois Harness Horse of the Year He’zzz A Wise Sky returns to the races Thursday afternoon at Springfield after a two-week layoff to make his second start in the more

By Mike Paradise   It’s “D-Day” for Illinois horsemen. That “D” is for decision time by the Illinois Racing Board for allocation of both the Standardbred and thoroughbred racing dates for 2023.   Unlike some more

By Mike Paradise   When the balloting gets under way later in the season for the 2022 Illinois Harness Horse of the Year, one of the prime contenders should be the gifted three-year-old trotter Lousdobb more

By Mike Paradise   Illinois harness racing picks up where it left off at the Hawthorne meet with programs on two afternoons a week for the next three weeks on Springfield’s state fairgrounds.   They’re more

By Mike Paradise   Kyle Wilfong was “The Man” Saturday night, driving six winners on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions. The 31-year-old Illinois native also had four of his horses finish second on the 12-race card. more

By Mike Paradise   The curtain is coming down on Hawthorne’s 2022 Standardbred meeting but before it does there’s over $1.2 million in purse money on the line in Saturday’s Night of Champions with 12 more

By Mike Paradise     Illinois based horseman Nelson Willis has been around a long time and like many veteran trainers he knows to have his horses as sharp as possible at the right time more

By Mike Paradise   It’s been said hundreds of times “you just don’t know what will happen in a horse race” and last weekend’s Night of Champions eliminations at Hawthorne demonstrated it once again.   more

By Mike Paradise   The filly and mare finalists for next Saturday’s Night of Champions were determined last night at Hawthorne with elimination races in three Illinois bred stake divisions.   However, the star of more

By Mike Paradise   It’s “Girls Night Out.” We’re talking about the four-legged kind for Saturday night.   A portion of Hawthorne’s ten race card will determine which freshman filly pacers and trotters will be more

By Mike Paradise   As I flipped a page on my calendar to today’s date, I couldn’t help but think “where does the time go.” It’s already September and there’s just two weeks left at more

By Mike Paradise   To go to the “Big Dance” you need an invitation. Likewise, to get into Hawthorne’s Night of Champions finals you need to pass your elimination test to be invited.   In more

By Mike Paradise   Illinois bred veteran trotter Talk About Valor continued his season dominance at Hawthorne while the Australian bred newcomer Im Sir Blake A, showed his Aussie back class in his local debut more

By Mike Paradise   With a hot summer day (86 degrees) with a high humidity (89%), there was plenty of horses, horsemen and racing fans perspiring at Saturday’s Du Quoin State Fair meet and that’s more

By Mike Paradise   It’s Championship Day at the Du Quoin State Fair nestled in the southern tip of Illinois. Rich in tradition and boasting a fast one-mile racing strip on its fairgrounds, ten ICF more

By Mike Paradise   With two Illinois State Fair championships on their recent list of accomplishments, the Midwest Division of the Erv Miller Stable, operated by Atlee Bender and his wife Hanna Miller, look to more

By Mike Paradise   Donna Holt’s Rock It Out, the pre-race favorite in tonight’s $12,300 featured Open Pace and fillies and mares, has shown plenty of tenacity on the race track this year, pacing a more