Hawthorne’s $1 million Night of Champions preview

Harness racing Secretary Robin Schadt has put together one of the best programs Hawthorne Racecourse has seen in recent years. The reason, says the seasoned race tracker, who divides her duties and time between Hawthorne and Cal-Expo, is simple.

“Due to the legislative casino approval, this is the first time in a very long time that we’ve had a healthy crop of 2- and 3-year-olds,” Schadt said. “We have some very talented horses who will vie here on Saturday night, and in many cases, I think we’ll see three horses or more, right on the wire at the finish.”

Approximately $1,175,000 will be distributed to 2- and 3-year-old, as well as older, Illinois Conceived and Foaled (ICF) pacers and trotters on Saturday night, Oct. 14, known as “The Night of Champions,” spread out among 12 races.

The evening begins with the $83,000 Beaulah Dygert Memorial Championship, named in honor of the one-time matriarch of Chicago racing, herself an owner and breeder of Standardbreds, most notably trotters. This event sports a field of ten ICF 3-year-old trotting fillies.

Trainer Steve Searle sends out a quartet of distaff sophomores, most notably Lou Sangreal, a bay daughter of Lou’s Legacy who was fourth in her Dygert elim, clocked in 1:57. But the standout in here is clearly Bell Boots, who won her elim in 1:58.1, with a come-from-behind move for trainer-driver Matthew Avenatti. She’s earned $59,011 to date from eight career wins in 34 lifetime starts for owner Tomi Jo Bell of Windsor, IL.

The Tony Maurello Championship (previously The Dan Patch) features a field of eight pacing mares, 3-year-olds and up, vying for a purse of $45,000. Apple Valley, a 4-year-old daughter of Major Bombay, won her Maurello elim in 1:53.2 with driver Kevin Lambright in the sulky for trainer Robert Tyalor and owner Mike Perrin of Glenwood, IL. This winner of $227,018 lifetime has a mark of 1:50, taken earlier in the season at Hoosier Park for these same connections.

The $45,000 Carl Becker Memorial Championship is named in honor of the longtime breeder, owner, and announcing guru who plied his wares throughout the Prairie State and nationally for decades. His son Kurt carries on the family tradition by announcing at North American and Illinois county fair tracks for both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses.

The Becker Memorial features a solid group of five 3-year-old aged trotting mares who combined have earned more than $1.5 million. Trainer Curt Grummel will bridle Funky Wiggle from the rail, and pilot the 4-year-old Lou’s Legacy mare, a winner of $273,993 to date from 18 career triumphs. She’ll face the likes of $662,452-earner Annas Lucky Star (Cassis); Louzotic (Lou’s Legacy), a winner of $385,067 lifetime; $223,597-earner Loulita (Lou’s Legacy); and Reign And Shine (Cassis), who will trying for her fifth win this season and 17^th lifetime.

Race Four on the card is the $45,000 Robert Molaro Memorial Championship for pacers, 4-year-olds and up. Trainer John Filomeno will harness standout He’zzz A Wise Sky (Yankee Skyscraper) for owner Triple Zzz Stable of Beecher, IL. This winner of $688,503 lifetime recorded a mark of 1:49.1 earlier this year at Springfield and sports a career mark of 1:48.3 taken in 2022 at Oak Grove. Kyle Wilfong drives the 6-year-old bay stallion from post two.

The $119,000 Fox Valley Flan Championship celebrates the exploits of one of the finest Illinois-breds to have ever peered through a bridle. This event for 2-year-old trotting fillies features a field of ten, highlighted by trainer Curt Grummel’s exceptional pair of Lou’s Legacy progeny—Whiskey Lou and Calypso Moon. The former has three wins and three seconds and $43,020 in earnings this season, while the latter has four wins and two thirds in seven starts, and earnings of $43,504.

Race Six is the $105,000 Robert F. Carey, Jr. Memorial Championship, named in honor of Hawthorne patriarch.  This ten-horse field is comprised of 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings, highlighted by the presence of Fox Valley Landen, a gelded son of Somestartsomewhere, who is conditioned by Amy Husted and driven by Kyle Husted. Fox Valley Landen has amassed $111,411 lifetime, with $82,050 of those dollars earned this season via his nine wins and a second in 11 starts.

The $90,000 Erwin F. Dygert Memorial Championship for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters will offer bettors a chance to see two top sons of Cassis battle it out for the trophy.  Goomster, trained by Desirae Seekman, has been nothing short of phenomenal this season, winning 10 of 13 starts, with a trio of second place finishes and $75,364 in earnings ($195,489 lifetime), while Niko Man, an Erv Miller-trainee, has $74,090 snared this season ($154,152 lifetime) from seven wins and one second in ten starts.

Race Eight is the $45,000 Plesac Championship for aged trotters, honoring not only the baseball player and former horse trainer of the same name, but also for the one-time Illinois-bred trotting champion, a son of Armbro Charger, who earned $2.5 million and recorded a 5-year-old record of 1:52.2s.  This six-horse field shares combined earnings of $1.5 million, and ship-in On Higher Ground (Cassis), who hails from Jennifer Bongiorno’s stable, captured his Plesac elim handily for driver Kyle Husted in 1:54.4 and rates the nod here.  This 6-year-old gelding has career earnings of $504,144 and owns a career mark of 1:51.2 taken at Pocono Downs earlier this season.

Ten 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters will line up behind the Hawthorne starting gate for the $121,000 Kadabra Championship with El Champee’onn (Danish Durango) cited as the one to beat.  This gelding was an easy wire-to-wire winner in his Kadabra elim, clocked in 1:59.4 and returns again, this time from post two, for trainer Russell Powell and owner Robert Beachy of Berlin, Ohio. This youngster has $20,276 in earnings from two wins, a second, and a third in five starts.

The Incredible Finale Championship features ten freshman pacing colts and geldings vying for a purse of $174,000. Trainer Erv Miller sends out a pair of formidable combatants in Gorgeous Big Guy (Ashlee’s Big Guy) and Fox Valley Durham (Time To Roll). The former is a five-time winner this season in nine tries, with four seconds to his credit and $64,668 in earnings, while the latter also has five wins and a pair of third-place finishes, and $38,515 collected in season monies. Both youngsters have the distinction of having captured both legs of this series and look solidly placed to be battling it out at the wire.

The $187,000 Incredible Tillie Championship for 2-year-old filly pacers is likely the most wide-open event of the evening, with a full field of ten competing for first prize. However, two daughters of Somestarsomewhere will likely be the ones to watch. Trainer Amy Husted’s Chickabell, who has earned $46,415 from five wins and two seconds in seven starts, won both legs of this series, the last in 1:55.1, while conditioner Jamaica Patton’s Hypeyourbestieup won last week’s leg easily in 1:55.1 with a front-stepping performance. This filly has four wins, one second, and two thirds in eight starts, and $30,546 in her career coffers.

The $116,000 Plumb Peachy for 3-year-old pacing fillies rounds out the evening’s festivities, as ten sophomores battle.  Erv Miller will harness Fox Valley Leah (Somestarsomewhere), who is riding a four-race win streak coming into this race. This bay filly has nine wins in ten starts this season and $78,510 in career earnings. She took her career mark at Hawthorne of 1:51.3 on Sept. 10, in a $23,500 ICF event before capturing both of her Plumb Peachy eliminations handily.

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Kimberly Rinker, for Harnesslink