Fox Valley Leah (Todd Warren) has won 82 per cent of her starts in her home state of Illinois. (Four Footed Fotos).

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

  The adage “There’s No Place Like Home” was popularized by Dorothy (Judy Garland) in the old 1939 Classic movie The Wizard of Oz. Even today the admired phase fits numerous situations, and that includes horse racing.

 A perfect example is the ICF mare Fox Valley Leah, who goes after her fourth consecutive victory in Saturday’s featured Open Pace for fillies and mares. When the Todd Warren trained 5-year-old competes in her home state, she’s been exceptional.

 Not that she hasn’t done well out-of-state. Outside of Illinois the Somestarsomewhere mare has won at a 31 per cent clip. She competed this year in Minnesota and picked-up checks in 10 of her 12 starts, winning three times including an Open Handicap at Running Aces last August.

 Fox Valley Leah banked over $30,000 up North before coming back to Illinois where she has put almost $34,000 on her card in only seven outings. It’s not a surprising amount when you consider the mare owns a winning clip racing in the Prairie State of 82 per cent (14-for-17).

 Ten of those wins came in 2023 as a 3-year-old for the Midwest Division of the Erv Miller stable. She was acquired in late November that year by Illinoisians Lester Peters (Beecher), Richard Tomei (Peotone) and Warren (Monee). A win tonight would put the mare’s lifetime earnings less than $200 away from the $200,000 plateau.

 Fox Valley Leah, who does her best racing up close and does have excellent speed from the starting gate, was assigned the outside eight slot by the Hawthorne Race Office. One post inside of her is Bombay Parkway (Casey Leonard), allocated the seventh slot after two consecutive runner-up finishes to Fox Valley Leah.

 The move from back-to-back starts from the two post to an outside post could benefit the Mike Brink trained 6-year-old mare. Bombay Parkway, ho took her mark of 1:51 flat last summer at Hoosier Park, is at her best coming out of it with a big stretch move. In her last start the inside post saw her race first-over the last time the two mares met. She should pick up cover tonight.

 The first six posts were drawn by groups (1-3) (4-6). The first three posts belong to Genie Ina Bottle (Cordarius Stewart), Skeeter Machine (Mike Oosting) and She’s Magical), all out of last week’s Jingle Bell series for mares won by Skeeter Machine. Déjà vu Babyboo (Marcus Miller), L Rockin Shania (Juan Franco) and Sleazy Mama (Brandon Bates) have the 4, 5 and slots, in that order.

 Fox Valley Leah is the 2-1 morning line favorite, and you can expect her odds to spiral downward tonight before the starting gate springs open. Bombay Parkway is next at 5-2. Interestingly, Ed Teefy owned mare was the 6-5 post time favorite in the last distaff Open when Fox Valley Leah won her third in a row at unexpected odds of 5-2.

 The mare with the highest career earnings in tonight’s headliner is Sleazy Mama, from the barn of veteran trainer Nelson Willis, The 5-year-old mare has lifetime earnings of $313,126. The now 10-year-old mare Skeeter Machine comes nest with $277,263.