Seventeen State Fair championship races offering $447,164 in purses were held at DuQuoin on Aug. 27 and eight championship races and seven consolation races, with purse money totaling $545,000, were contested on Sept. 11 at Springfield.

by Neil Milbert

The Illinois Department of Agriculture gave the state’s harness racing community a much-needed financial boost by presenting a total of seven racing programs for Illinois-breds at the State Fairs at Springfield and DuQuoin.

Except for the finale on Sept. 11, all of the programs were part of the fairs and were simulcast for betting at Hawthorne Race Course, Illinois off-track locations, out-of-state sites and internet and phone betting.

Rain that made the track unsuitable for racing forced postponement of the fourth Springfield program scheduled for Aug. 15 and it had to be rescheduled for Sept. 11 after the fair had ended.

That was the only rainout.

All of the purse money was provided by the Department of Agriculture in contrast to the non-betting races funded by the Hawthorne purse account that were held in June and July and will resume this month and continue through early October.

Following the conclusion of the Hawthorne thoroughbred meeting the standardbreds will return on Oct. 19, racing there for the first time since Feb. 12.

Seventeen State Fair championship races offering $447,164 in purses were held at DuQuoin on Aug. 27 and eight championship races and seven consolation races with purse money totaling $545,000, were contested on Sept. 11 at Springfield.

All of the championships at Springfield had purses of $55,000 and the consolations each had pots of $15,000. At DuQuoin the richest race was the $50,250 Pronto Don for 3-year-old Illinois-bred colts and geldings.

Trainer Erv Miller and his driver/son, Marcus, captured three of the Springfield championships. Their winners were Gorgeous Big Guy in the race for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers, Tru Cash in the race for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters and Louise’s Legacy in the race for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters.

As is his custom Gorgeous Big Guy led all the way in winning for the eighth time in eight races this year and for the 15th time in a 19-race career in which he has never been worse than second. The gelded son of Ashlee’s Big Guy—Gorgeous Ranger by Palone Ranger defeated another of Miller’s horses, second place Fox Valley Durham, by a head in 1:50.2. The winner’s stablemate was driven by Kyle Wilfong.

Tru Cash had won only once in his nine prior outings this year but had finished worse than third only once. This time the gelded son of Lindy’s Tru Grit—Betcha, by Cash Hall, took an early lead, extended it by a wide margin at the stretch call, and won by three-quarters-of-a-length over Lous Private Eye, who was coming off a compelling conquest in the Pronto Don. Tru Cash was clocked in 1:55.3, by far the best time of his 18-race lifetime.

Louise’s Legacy came from second to overtake Sunburnt Silverado and win by a quarter-of-a-length in a career best 1:58.4, reversing the outcome of their Aug. 27 encounter at DuQuoin. It was the second victory of a seven-race career in which the daughter of Lou’s Legacy—Lima Simplicity, by Rocky Balboa never has finished worse than third.

Trainer Amy Husted and her driver husband, Kyle, were double-winners in the Springfield championship races, with Thebeautifulthings in the race for 2-year-old filly pacers and Fox Valley Sadie in the race for 3-year-old filly pacers.

“We’ve loved her since the day we broke her,” Amy said after Thebeautifulthings earned her fifth victory in six starts by holding on to nose out Wildcat Abby in 1:53.1. “She’s a big, strong-gaited filly. She’s got a bit of a sassy attitude but she fights at the right time. She loves to win and finds a way to put her nose in front at the right time.”

Thebeautifulthings is a daughter of Somestarsomewhere—Ok Godiva, by Well Said, while Fox Valley Sadie is a daughter of Time To Roll—She Likes It All, by The Big Dog.

Fox Valley Sadie gained the lead halfway through her race and defeated Fox Valley Tessa (a filly with the same sire) by a length in 1:52.1. The victory was her fifth in 10 races this year and the 10th of her 18-race career.

“She’s not the strongest but she’s got a big heart,” Amy said. “She broke a split bone and had two surgeries as a 2-year-old and got off to a late start. She had an infection in her joint; it was a mess.

“To have the year she had last year and for her to race at the level she does now is pretty special.”

The winners of the other championship races at Springfield were: Cash Money Twenty in the race for 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers; Kays In Charge in the race for 2-year-old filly trotters; and Calypso Moon in the race for 3-year-old filly trotters. Casey Leonard drove Cash Money Plenty to his fifth victory in six outings for trainer Mike Brink; Travis Seekman was at the reins of Kays In Charge for trainer Tom Simmons; and Wilfong was in the sulky of Calypso Moon for trainer Curt Grummel when she nosed out Fox Valley Tiegen.

In the Champions Day races at DuQuoin, Lous Private Eye hit the jackpot in the main event by defeating Tru Cash by a head in a lifetime best 1:54.4 performance.

Leonard did the driving for trainer Steve Searle and Flacco Family Farms, the owner and breeder of the son of Lou’s Legacy—Bands One Eye Love, by Band’s Gold Chip.

Searle Felt a break in stride cost Lous Private Eye the victory in his Springfield rematch with Tru Cash.

“It doesn’t show on the chart as him making a break but he did seem to run for a couple of steps at the head of the stretch,” Searle said. “He came back trotting and still almost won.”

The Springfield setback left Lous Private Eye with seven triumphs and a second in nine starts this year. His other race saw him finish a distant fifth in a county fair race.

“We timed his last half mile and he trotted it in :56 flat at that little fair track,” Searle said. “At times he loses it for a few steps and then comes back strong. Because he’s so full of himself we’ll warm him up two times before his races.

“He’s a very good horse. I wish I had a barn full of them like him.”

A daughter of Lou’s Legacy, Lou’s My Number, gave Searle and Leonard a victory earlier on the card in the $35,125 second division of the First Lady’s Cup for 2-year-old fillies. It was her fifth start and the conquest came following three seconds and a third.

Leonard also won two races for trainer Curt Grummel, the second division of the $35,125 Governor’s Cup for 2-year-old male trotters with Sunburnt Silverado and the $25,125 second division of the Windy Skeeter for 3-year-old filly trotters with Whiskey Lou.

Grummel earlier achieved success in the Windy Skeeter’s $25,125 first division when Wilfong guided Calypso Moon to victory.

Travis Seekman was the star driver at the DuQuoin extravaganza with five winners.

Two of the triumphs came with horses trained and co-owned by Jamaica Patton, Adalecia in the $25,125 first division of the Time Dancer for 3-year-old filly pacers and Hypeyourbestieup in the Time Dancer’s second division.

Seekman also annexed the $35,125 first division of The First Lady’s Cup for 2-year-old filly trotters with Kays In Charge, the $23,416 second division of the Director’s Cup for 2-year-old male pacers with Battlin Bob and the $25,125 Dudley Hanover for 3-year-old colts and geldings with Guitar Man.

Amy and Kyle Husted prefaced their success at Springfield by collaborating to take two of the DuQuoin races, the $35,125 Lieutenant Governor’s Cup for 2-year-old filly pacers with Thebeautifulthings and the $12,000 last race on the card for older male pacers with Fox Valley Landen.

In addition, Kyle drove Dialogue to victory for trainer Kimberly Roth in the $35,125 first division of the Director’s Cup.

FINISH LINES: The major races at Springfield and DuQuoin serve as a sneak preview for the biggest night in Illinois racing, the Night of Champions for state-breds on Nov. 9 at Hawthorne… The Illinois racing dates for 2025 will be announced on Thursday (Sept. 19) following hearings by the Illinois Racing Board. Hawthorne is the only remaining pari-mutuel harness track in the state and also is the lone thoroughbred track in the Chicago metropolitan area. The state’s other thoroughbred track is downstate Fairmount Park, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.