STICKNEY, IL – Following last weekend’s winning performance by Speaking Scout in the Hawthorne Derby, the second turf stakes of the season takes place on Saturday at Hawthorne. The $75,000 guaranteed Illini Princess will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the Hawthorne turf. Going as race six on the Saturday card, the Illini Princess is for Illinois-bred fillies and mares, three-years-old and up. A field of ten is entered for the Illini Princess as there is no standout in the race.
The morning line favorite at 3-1 in the Illini Princess is Katie M’Lady for owners Cherrywood Racing Stables, II and Oak Rock Racing LLC. Trained by Michele Boyce, Katie M’Lady has shown great ability in limited starts, winning four of seven career races. The four-year-old filly was a stakes winner on the grass at three, winning the Sharon Kirby Memorial at Arlington on August 21 of last year. She followed that victory up with a win over open allowance-company at the end of August. She closed her 2021 season by finishing second in last fall’s Illini Princess, nearly wiring the field only to be caught by Bramble Queen at the wire. This will be the first start of 2022 for Katie M’Lady as she has worked consistently toward her return. Regular rider Julio Felix is back in the saddle.
The 7-2 second choice is Beyond Proper for owners Team Block and trainer Chris Block. Third to Katie M’Lady in the Sharon Kirby Memorial last year and sixth in the Illini Princess, Beyond Proper got off to a bit of a slow start in a pair of turf races at Hawthorne to open 2022. Shipping North to Canterbury for the summer, Beyond Proper has gradually improved, finishing a close third in a turf allowance in July before winning an allowance race that came off the turf on August 20. Chris Emigh gets the call aboard Beyond Proper on Saturday.
The second Team Block runner in the Illini Princess is the lightly raced Trail Ridge Road. The third choice at 9-2, three-year-old Trail Ridge Road makes only her fourth career start. She debuted at Hawthorne on June 25, scoring in a maiden allowance by five lengths over a yielding Hawthorne turf. She shipped East to Colonial for the summer, running second and fourth respectively in a pair of tough turf allowance races. She returns to Hawthorne for the Illini Princess and is reunited with Orlando Mojica, who rode her to her maiden victory.
Michele Boyce also has a second starter in the Illini Princess with Cat Attack for owners S.D. Brilie Limited Partnership. The four-year-old filly debuted on the Hawthorne turf at two, breaking her maiden by over ten lengths over the Hawthorne turf on November 28, 2020. She opened her three-year-old season with a pair of turf allowance scores at Arlington before running second to Katie M’Lady in the Sharon Kirby Memorial. She ended her 2021 season with a seventh-place effort in the Illini Princess. Cat Attack added blinkers in the Oakbrook Stakes on the turf this spring at Hawthorne and nearly stole the race on the front end, finishing third after leading much of the way. In her most recent start, she wired the field in an open-allowance over the Hawthorne turf on September 24. Constantino Roman rode her to that victory and rides once again on Saturday at Cat Attack is 6-1 in the morning line.
The field for the Illini Princess:
PP Horse Jockey Trainer M/L
1 Lizz A Bee E. Esquivel K. Broberg 8-1
2 Lipliner E.T. Baird V. Childers 12-1
3 Katie M’Lady J. Felix M. Boyce 3-1
4 Romantic Attack L. Colon V. Childers 15-1
5 Beyond Proper C. Emigh C. Block 7-2
6 Cat Attack C. Roman M. Boyce 6-1
7 Kingsbury Dream V. Santiago V. Childers 10-1
8 Sweet Fraulein J. Tavares J. Hernandez 30-1
9 Trail Ridge Road O. Mojica C. Block 9-2
10 Embarrassing J. Lopez H. Rodriguez 15-1
Hawthorne Race Course, Chicago’s Hometown Track, races year-round in 2022. The winter harness season concluded on Sunday, March 20. Spring thoroughbreds kicked off Saturday, April 2 and concluded Saturday, June 25. The summer harness season began on Thursday, June 30 and raced through Sunday, September 11. Fall thoroughbreds returned on Friday, September 23 and race through Saturday, December 31. For any information about Hawthorne Race Course visit our website www.HawthorneRaceCourse.com.