By Mike Paradise, for the IHHA

The weather has played havoc with racing at this year’s Illinois State Fair with Thursday’s, Fridays and now Saturday’s cards being called off because Springfield’s dirt track has been pelted by rain the last few days, making it unfit for competition.

A new racing schedule for next Wednesday and Thursday’s programs has been worked out. There will be no Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes eliminations. Those previously drawn elims will go as division championships on Thursday (August 17) afternoon. First post is 10 am

Entries for those finals have closed.

 The freshman filly pace will have 34 horses going postward in four divisions, worth approximately $17,250 each. The freshman colt and gelding juvenile is set with three divisions of eight pacers apiece, likely with $19,000 pots on the line.

The two-year-old filly trot showdown will have two divisions, worth about $28,500 each. The first season colt trot also has a pair of finals, valued at $20,000 apiece.

The three-year-old pacing finals have an estimated $47,000 in purse money available. While the gals will be divided into two $13,500 divisions, their male counterparts have only a single 11-horse championship event.

Aged Horse Showdowns Set: Also, to be decided on Thursday are a quartet of championships for aged horses.

The horse and gelding pace conflict will have a small (four horses) but a strong field comprised of two time Illinois Harness Horse of the Year He’zzz A Wise Sky (Kyle Wilfong), Holden Steady (Cordarius Stewart), Fox Valley Ozzy (Gary Rath) and Fox Valley Gemini (Casey Leonard), who took the top ICF horse annual award on three occasions, 2018 through 2020.

Annas Lucky Star (pp 5) will be reunited with Kyle Wilfong when she defends her mare trotting championship once more against Creations Dream MV (Cordarius Stewart), Louzotic (Travis Seekman), Loulita (Casey Leonard) and Reign And Shine (Jamaica Patton).

Skeeter Machine (pp 5, Travis Seekman) will look to make it back-to-back Springfield aged mare pacing titles when the veteran eight-year-old make dukes it out with Double Parked (Cordarus Stewart), Kandi’s Fortune (Danarius Dortch), Dandy’s MNM (Casey Leonard), Castielle (Wyatt Avenatti), Fox Valley Exploit (Kyle Husted) and My Uptowne Girl (Jamaica Patton).

Talk About Valor (Travis Seekman) returns to Illinois to protect his ISFCS aged male trotting crown for a fourth straight time against Lousdobb (Casey Leonard), Lous Adonis (Martin-Lohman), Lousraptor (Cordarius Stewart) and Heath Bar (Jamaica Patton).