One of Kyle Wilfong’s four championship drives came with He’zzz A Wise Sky in the $60,000 Phil Langley Memorial for aged ICF male pacers. (Four Footed Fotos).

By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 Three drivers—Kyle Wilfong, Casey Leonard, and Marcus Miller—drove 10 of the 12-winning horses on Saturday’s Night of Champions at Hawthorne. Wilfong brought home four champions while Leonard and Miller each had a driving triple.

 What started out as a comfortable fall evening with a fast track turned out to be a rainy night with horses competing on a sloppy racing surface the last half of the 12 race program.

 Here’s how it all unfolded:

 Nicely handled by Kyle Wilfong, Scorecard Dandy chalked up an easy victory in the $60,000 Tony Maurello Memorial championship with a 1:51.3 mile as the public’s second choice

 The 6-year-old Sportsmaster mare made the front soon after the 27.4 first quarter, got away with a modest 56.3 first half and had plenty left to win for the 21st time in 100 career starts for Green Acres LLC (Beecher, IL) and Mike Klimas (Oak Lawn, IL). The Gregory Kain trained mare upped her lifetime earnings to $396,896.

 The $127,858 Kadabra final for ICF 2-year-old male trotters was next and it went to Louise’s Legacy (Marcus Miller), coming off the pace for trainer Erv Miller who shares ownership of the Lou’s Legacy gelding with Geis Enterprises of Chicago. The winner now has banked over $147,000 in his first racing season.

 The even money favorite Sunburnt Legacy (Casey Leonard) broke early in the race along with Shady Maple Becker (Wyatt Avenatti). One Trip Chip did the same soon after. Frontier Nacho (Todd Warren) came on late to be second best, Call Me Maevy (Travis Seekman) took third.

 The $144,637 Fox Valley Flan 2-year-old filly trot had a shocking finish when the prohibitive 2-5 favorite What A Legacy broke stride just as she was about to pass the front-stepping Lou’s My Number (Casey Leonard) with less than a sixteenth of a mile to go.

 Lou’s My Number, trained by Steve Searle, won for the third time in her last six starts for the quartet of Steve Searle (Grant Park, IL) Michael Buzzard (Altamont, IL), Chris Paloma (Cedar Rapids, IA) and Michael Paloma (Mundelein, IL).

 What A Legacy survived a steward’s inquiry to get the bridesmaid role and Dandy’s Princess overcame the outside 10-hole to finish third.

 The four-horse $80,000 Carl Becker Memorial field followed, and it was Marvelous Mystery at 2-5 odds with Marcus Miller who proved best in the final of state-bred aged trotting mares. The time of 1:55.4 came after the winner strolled to a :59.4 first half on the lead, Loulita (Casey Leonard) took the runner-up role.

 Triple ZZZ Stable’s He’zzz A Wise Sky showed he isn’t about to relinquish the title as Illinois top aged pacer with a convincing 1:50.3 clocking in the $60,000 Phil Langley Memorial. It was the 7-year-old home bred’s 56th career win and propelled his lifetime earnings to over $826,000.

 Nicely steered by Kyle Wilfong, He’zzz A Wise Sky was parked out much of the first half mile, making the front right before the 55 flat first half clocking for trainer John Filomeno. With the 9-5 co-favorite Fox Valley Landen (Kyl Husted) right behind him, the winner got to the three-quarters in 1:23.1 before putting away his challengers, winning on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions for the fifth time in the last six years for his Beecher, IL owners. Fox Valley Landen finished one length behind while Fox Valley Langley was third.

 Gorgeous Big Guy (Marcus Miller) likely wrapped to the 2024 ICF 3-year-old colt or gelding honors with another convincing victory, this one in the $155,244 Robert F. Carey Jr. Memorial final, his 11 h in 12 season starts for trainer Erv Miller. Marcus Miller sent the heavy 1-2 betting choice out from the get-go and made the front after a 27.4 first panel.

 Guitar Man (Travis Seekman) had a big first over effort to be second beaten about a length. Doug Overhiser (Smyma Beach, FL) and Mark Winship (Canton, IL) own both of the first two Carey finishers

 Illinois 2-year-old filly pacers then got their chance to shine in the $224,623 Incredible Tillie championship and it was Thebeautifulthings who sparkled the most with a 1:52.2 winning effort.

 Wildcat Abby (Casey Leonard) shot out from the two hole to take command and Thebeautilfulthing’s driver Kyle Husted was content to take a pocket trip with the Amy Husted trainee, come out in the lane, and power pass for a three-length victory with his Somestarsomewhere filly, her eighth in nine lifetime starts. Floridian Doug Overhiser also owns this champion.

 The overwhelming 1-9 favorite Cash Money Twenty (Casey Leonard) chalked up another win in the $228,545 Incredible Finale championship but he was all out to do so. Dialogue (Kyle Wilfong) gave the Mike Brink pacer all he could handle before dropping a head decision after providing the live cover for Cash Money Twenty to rally in time.

 The Sevenson gelding is now 10-for-11 lifetime and has made more than $192,000 for Heart And Soul stables of Des Moines, Ia. The 1:52.2 winning mile was on a “good” track after the rain began.

 The “chalk” parade continued to Hawthorne’s winner’s circle when Niko Man, at 1-5 odds, captured the $60,000 Plesac Championship for aged state-bred trotting males in 1:54.1 on a rain drenched track now listed as sloppy. It was the Kyle Wilfong’s third championship drive on the card.

 Longshots ruled in the next two championship events as Fox Valley Tessa (Wyatt Avenatti) and Tru Cash (Marcus Miller) came from far out of it to prevail.

 The Steve Searle trained Fox Valley Tessa ($25.60) rallied from sixth to capture the $189,701 Plum Peach for 3-year-old filly pacers in 1:53.2. The 45-1 longshot No Words Needed (Kyle Wilfong) was second and Dandy’s Ms Swifty (Casey Leonard) was third.

 Steve Searle (Grant Park, IL), Brian Code (Bradford, IL), James Nellinger (Peoria, IL) and Gretchen Barnett (San Diego, Ca) share in the ownership of Fox Valley Tessa.

 Wilfong’s fourth winner Tru Cash came from even further back to prevail in the $134,744 Erwin F. Dygert Memorial trot. The Erv Miller trainee, the third choice in the wagering, was eighth, some 7 lengths behind at the three-quarter pole in his 1:56.3 win. Shady Maple Alstar (Kyle Husted) at 13-1 was second while third went to Lous Private Eye (Casey Leonard).

 Tru Cash’s ownership is shared by Jerry Graham (Samel, IL) and Doug Overhiser.

 The Curt Grummel stable’s Whiskey Lou (Casey Leonard) was much the best in the $109.658 Beulah Dygert Memorial 3-year-old filly trot as she pulled away to a four length triumph in 1:56.2.

 It was the son of Lou’s Legacy’s 12th victory in 13 season outings for owner and breeder Randy Witt of Savannah Missouri. The runner-up spot went to Peekaboo Sal (Wyatt Avenatti) while Fox Valley Tiegen (Marcus Miller) held on for third.