Whiskey Lou (Casey Leonard) three-year-old trotting dominance overshadowed others in her division’s accomplishments. (Four Footed Fotos) 

By Mike Paradise for the I.H.H.A.

  When a horse dominates a division like Whiskey Lou did in the 2023 ICF trotting filly class when she won 13 of 14 starts, including the Beulah Dygert final on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions, often overlooked is what any of her rivals did.

 The Steve Searle stable’s Peekaboo Gal falls into that category.

 The now 4-year-old mare raked in almost $72,000 for her owner All-Wright Stable of Morton, Illinois and most of it came being the bridesmaid in competition against Whiskey Lou.

 Peekaboo Sal only went 3 for 19 in her second season of racing. However, besides two thirds, she had eight second place finishes and most came against the newest star of the Curt Grummel stable whose lone loss came in the $55,000 Illinois Championship at Springfield last September when she was knocked off stride at the start.

 From early August through mid-November Peekaboo Sal was second best in 5 of 7 starts, including the Dygert championship, and third both times she wasn’t the runner-up.

 The daughter of Lou’s Legacy was a $17,000 purchase at the 2021 Illini Classic Sale. Her only two-year-old win came at the Charleston Fair, but she still managed to earn over $33,000 in her initial, missing only one check in her nine trips to the starting gate.

 Saturday night Peekaboo Sal will open as the 7-5 favorite in a conditioned trot. She was entered in Hawthorne’s Open trot that didn’t fill but the mare was eligible for the sixth race under the condition, non-winners of 5 races (ICF 6) draw inside where she landed the two-slot in the five-horse field.

 Her biggest threat could come from the 11-year-old veteran Double A Goldrush (Casey Leonard). While the Elegant Man gelding spends his summers in Indiana, when he does come to Hawthorne, he usually does very well. Double A Goldrush is closing in on a half million dollars in lifetime earnings ($496,870) for owners Mihael and Laura Lee of Bridgeport, IL and trainer Terry Lee Leonard of Harvard, IL. The trotters’ next victory would be his 47th.

 Looking to pull off an upset is Jammin Jamin (Juan Franco), Peekaboo Sal’s stablemate Lous Amazon (Mike Oosting) and M Maurrone (Robert Smolin).

  The Saturday headliner comes in race six, a conditioned pace for non-winners of $5,000 in their last four starts or horses to be claimed for $20,000. Odds On Alpha Male (Brandon Bates) falls into the second condition.

 Awaiting the Hector Herrera gelding are Rockin Pulse (Marcus Miller), Ben Racin (Mike Oosting), Tookadiveoffdipper (Casey Leonard), the early 5-2 favorite Melton Beach N (Kyle Wilfong) and Clearchoice De Vie (Wyatt Avenatti).

 Tookadiveoffdipper, now an 11-year-old from the barn of trainer Jim Eaton, has banked $706,818, more than his five foes have accomplished combined, and the Always A Virgin offspring has 53 first place finishes.