Illinois Day of Champions

by Neil Milbert

Literally and figuratively, there was a day and night difference between the Day of Champions on Sept. 26 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and the 2025 Night of Champions on Nov. 16 at now-closed Hawthorne Race Course in the Chicago suburb of Stickney.

Last year the first of the 12 championship races for Illinois-bred pacers and trotters went off at 7:10 p.m.; this year the first race left the starting gate at 11 a.m.

There was pari-mutuel wagering on the Night of Champions; the Day of Champions was a non-betting event.

The Night of Champions purses funded by both Hawthorne and the Illinois Department of Agriculture totaled $1.1 million.

The Department of Agriculture was the sole source of purses for the Day of Champions races and they shriveled to $581,000. There also were three consolation races this year worth a total of $21,000 and they upped the ante to $602,500 for a 15-race program.

Last year the biggest purse was $226,545; this year it was $75,125.

In the 2026 championship races seven winners recorded career best times and another equaled her best time. Most of the championship races had either nine or 10 starters.

The Day of Champions results in chronological order:

• $68,125 Incredible Tillie for 2-year-old filly pacers — Starting from the outside in the field of 10 with Marcus Miller driving for his father, trainer Erv Miller, Morganitis came from the middle of the pack to edge Hart’s Revenge by a head in 1:52.4.

The victory was the fourth in seven races for Morganitis. She never has been worse than second.

• $61,125 Incredible Finale for 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers — Fox Valley Agate improved her nine-race record to seven wins and one place in winning by three lengths over Fox Valley Kravitz in 1:53.4.

Kevin Miller is the trainer of Fox Valley Agate and Jared Finn was her driver.

• $59,625 Fox Valley Flan for 2-year-old filly trotters — The driver-and-trainer combo of Casey Leonard and Steve Searle brought out the best in Lou’s Lovenote and she was a three-length winner over Shady Maple Delite in 1:56.3.

Lou’s Lovenote’s triumph gave her a nine-race resume consisting of seven triumphs and two seconds.

• $68,125 Kadabra for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters — The Monster lived up to his name by scoring the day’s most powerful victory, a 7½-length conquest in 1:54.3, and recording the fifth triumph of his undefeated career.

The Monster is trained by Erv Miller and was driven by Marcus Miler.

• $63,125 Plum Peachy for 3-year-old filly pacers — Evening Slippers, who has been racing at Hoosier Park, returned to her home state and won by three lengths over Fox Valley Tamara in 1:52.3, giving her an 11-race composite of 3-4-2.

Amanda Van Winkle is the trainer of Evening Slippers and she had Travis Seekman in the sulky. They were repeat champions after taking last year’s Incredible Tillie at Hawthorne.

• $66,225 Robert F. Carey Memorial for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters — Seekman and trainer Amy Husted teamed up to score a head victory with Like A Doctor. He was clocked in 1:49 in earning his fourth victory in a 17-race career in which he has placed six times and showed once.

Fox Valley Onassis was a close second and finishing fourth in the field of nine was Sleazy Captain, who is trained by Amy and was driven by her husband, Kyle Husted. Amy and Kyle bred Like A Doctor and co-own him with John Schwartz.

• $75,125 Beulah Dygert Memorial for 3-year-old filly trotters — The richest race of the day saw Pony Chrome prevail by 3¼ lengths over Shady Maple Chick in 1:52.2.

Lamar Wingard drove Pony Chrome for trainer Lewayne Miller.

• $66,125 Erwin Dygert Memorial for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters — Last year’s state champion 2-year-old male trotter Go Go Chrome gave the sire Southwind Chrome a sweep in the trotting races for members of the sophomore class. He won by 2¼ lengths over Fox Valley Snapper in 1:53.3.

Juan Franco did the driving as Go Go Chrome improved his 10-race record for trainer Jamaica Patton to seven wins and one show.

• $12,000 Tony Maurello Memorial for filly and mare pacers age 3 and up — The 5-year-old mare Fox Valley Tessa scored a 2½-length victory over Robintino in 1:51.3. The conquest was her fifth in 13 starts this year.

She is trained by Amy Husted and was driven by Kyle and the couple own her in partnership with Schwartz.

• $12,000 Phil Langley Memorial for male pacers age 3 and up — The Husted-Schwartz threesome went back to the winner’s circle by virtue of Fox Valley Landen’s 1¾-length victory in 1:50.2.

The son of Somebeachsomewhere led all the way in defeating nine opponents.

• $15,000 Carl Becker Memorial for filly and mare trotters age 3 and up — Whiskey Lou, a state champion for the past three years and a two-time Night of Champions heroine, showed that she still has star quality when she was a one-length winner over Unhynged Cadeau in 1:54.

The 5-year-old mare, who competed in most of her earlier races this year at Hoosier, is trained by Curt Grummel and was driven by Marcus Miller. Her 10-race past performance lines for 2026 read 4-2-1.

• $15,000 Plesac for male trotters age 3 and up — Niko Man, the state champion older male for the past two years, gave every indication that he is destined to make it three straight titles when he won by 3½ lengths over Dj’s Midnight in 1:55.3.

Kyle Wilfong came from Indiana to drive the 6-year-old for trainer Richard Shrock. It was his sixth triumph in 28 outings this year.

FINISH LINES: Driven by Leonard and trained by Searle, the 2-year-old gelding Trevorsaurus Rex defeated four opponents in winning the $12,000 Incredible consolation for 2-year-old pacers of both sexes by 3¼ lengths in 1:56.2… The $4,500 Fox Valley Flan consolation saw Mrs Capone win by 2¼ lengths in 1:59.3 for trainer Amy Husted, driver Kyle Husted and Schwartz, who co-owns the 2-year-old filly trotter with the couple… The $4,500 Plum Peachy consolation for 3-year-old pacers was a match-race in which Variant, who is trained by Freddie Patton and had Jordan Patton at the reins, won by 5¼ lengths over Fox Valley Polaris in 1:55.2.

IN THE COURTROOM: U.S. Trustee Adam Brief is expected to make a motion in  the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Northern Illinois on Wednesday (Oct. 7) to convert Hawthorne’s bankruptcy case from Chapter 11 to the more stringent Chapter 7.

At the Sept. 30 Bankruptcy Court hearing the Illinois Racing Board  filed a motion stating that it has a right to revoke Hawthorne’s organizational license. The Illinois Gaming Board has filed a similar request to revoke the now-defunct track’s racino license that has been dormant since it was issued in 2020. Judge Timothy Barnes has given Hawthorne president Tim Carey three weeks to respond to the motions and after both responses are submitted the judge said a decision will be forthcoming within two weeks.