For Immediate Release
Contact: Jim Miller (708) 780-3700
JimMiller@ClubHawthorne.com
Over $1.2 Million Up For Grabs on Night of Champions at Hawthorne
STICKNEY, IL – Twelve stakes finals
will be taking place on Saturday at Hawthorne as over $1.2 million in purses
will be on the line, all for Illinois-breds, during
the Night of Champions. With earlier
stakes action taking place at Hawthorne this summer along with great racing at
the Illinois State Fairs in Springfield and Du Quoin there are some scores to
be settled. Divisional titles will be on
the line as the season wraps up at Hawthorne. A look at the Saturday stakes
action:
Race 1 - $85,000 Beulah Dygert
Memorial – 3yo Filly Trot
The night kicks off with a full field of ten and a terrible
post draw for the likely favorite. Dr.
Patrick Graham’s Funky Wiggle drew the far outside for trainer Curt Grummel and driver Kyle Wilfong. A winner of eight of ten races on the year,
Funky Wiggle has overcome tough spots recently and will have to do so once
again. Less than a month ago Funky
Wiggle was the overwhelming favorite in the championship final at the Illinois
State Fair in Springfield. Breaking
stride before the start, Funky Wiggle spotted the field over ten lengths before
the opening quarter. Undeterred, Wilfong
kept Funky Wiggle in the clear as she rejoined the field on the backstretch and
advanced to challenge on the outside.
Grabbing the lead in the turn, Funky Wiggle was all heart in the
stretch, holding on to win by a neck. She followed that performance with a
track record 1:51.4 mile at DuQuoin before returning
to Hawthorne to win the Dygert elimination by over
six lengths while having to start in the second tier. She will prove she is a champion if she can
win the Saturday final from the far outside.
Race 2 - $62,000 Tony Maurello
– 3yo & up Filly and Mare Pace
Despite having only a field of six
for the final, the Maurello is one of the more
wide-open races on the card. With over
$100,000 in earnings on the year, Fox Valley Exploit leads the way for trainer
Amy Husted. A seven-time winner this
season, Fox Valley Exploit has finished in the top three in 21 of 25 starts in
2022. The second-place finisher in the
$50,000 Maurello earlier in the meet, she was a
winner at DuQuoin before being beaten less than a
length as the even money favorite in the Maurello
prep. Driver Kyle Husted is part owner
with David Brigham. Scorecard Dany poses
the biggest challenge to Fox Valley Exploit as Kyle Wilfong drives for trainer
Greg Kain. With nine victories in 28 starts this year, Scorecard Dandy got the
best of Fox Valley Exploit in the Maurello in July
and then again in last week’s prep.
Owned by Green Acres LLC and Mike Klimas,
Scorecard Dandy looks to surpass $200,000 in lifetime earnings in the Maurello.
Race 3 - $62,000 Carl Becker Memorial – 3yo & up
Filly and Mare Trot
An event owned by champion Annas Lucky Star for owner Danny
Graham, this race looks to be a possible repeat in 2022. With 54 career victories in 121 starts for
over $575,000 in lifetime earnings, Annas Lucky Star has been sharp as ever in
2022. A winner of three of her last five
races, Annas Lucky Star and driver Kyle Wilfong set a track record at Hawthorne
winning in 1:53.3 on August 6. She was
solid once again in last week’s prep for trainer Nelson Willis as she took
control from the start and defeated this same field by nearly two lengths in
1:55.2. A win in the Carl Becker Memorial would push her earnings to over
$600,000.
Race 4 - $62,000 Plesac –
3yo & up Trot
When Annas Lucky Star broke her track record on August 6
against open company, she defeated a very tough gelding that night as Talk
About Valor battled her to the wire.
Owned by Shelley Steele and trained by Gerald Hansen, Talk About Valor
has been very good in 2022, posting 11 victories from 17 starts. While speed is typically the name of the game
for Talk About Valor and driver Travis Seekman, he
showed he could rate when drawing outside and defeating open company on July
22. Talk About Valor draws post six in the field of seven in the Plesac and may be headed to the top once again from the
start. His toughest challenge could come
from Heath Bar for trainer Jamaica Patton.
A ten-time winner on the year, Heath Bar defeated Talk About Valor in
winning in Springfield in 1:52.4 on August 13. He was second to the likely race
favorite in last week’s prep but can’t be dismissed as driver JD Lewis is back
in the bike.
Race 5 - $125,000 Fox Valley Flan – 2yo Filly Trot
While trainer Curt Grummel didn’t
get a great draw for Funky Wiggle in the night’s opener, his very talented
youngster Marvelous Mystery got an excellent draw in the Fox Valley Flan,
drawing post five in the field of ten.
With Kyle Wilfong in the bike for owners Curt, Craig and Leo Grummel, Marvelous Mystery has been exceptional in 2022,
winning nine of eleven starts on the year.
She faced defeat only twice this year, both times to Fox Valley Shania,
who is not in this final. Marvelous
Mystery is very versatile, winning from on the lead in the elimination last
week and coming from off the pace as she did in the edition of this race at the
end of July.
Race 6 - $93,000 Robert F. Carey, Jr. Memorial – 3yo
Colt & Gelding Pace
A field of six lines up in the Carey Memorial as a trio of
geldings have taken turns beating each other throughout the season. Drawing the outside is Fox Valley Ozzy for
owners Stephen Mc MacKin and David Samuelson and
trainer Gary Rath. The 2021 Illinois
Horse of the Year has faced his challenges in 2022, winning four of 15
races. With Casey Leonard in the bike,
Fox Valley Ozzy was in fine form winning stakes in both Springfield and DuQuoin. A Heavy
favorite in last week’s prep, Fox Valley Ozzy was all heart but came up just
short, losing to Fox Valley Crete on the wire.
Trained by Nelson Willis and driven by Kyle Wilfong, Fox Valley Crete
has won five times in 2022 but has also been inconsistent. His form was sharp last week when he pulled
off the 11-1 upset in the Carey prep. Get
E Up can’t be discounted for trainer Amy Husted and husband/driver Kyle. Hitting the board in nine of eleven races on
the year, Get E Up won the Carey in July and had near misses to Fox Valley Ozzy
in both Springfield and DuQuoin.
Race 7 - $88,000 Erwin F. Dygert
Memorial – 3yo Colet & Gelding Trot
In the first edition of the Dygert
in July, Fox Valley Cairo was winning easily as Lousdobb
had encountered issues in back-to-back races.
Since that victory, the Mike Brink trainee has held his own, finishing
second in four straight starts between Springfield, DuQuoin
and last week’s prep at Hawthorne.
Unfortunately for Fox Valley Cairo, the winner of all four of those
races was Lousdobb, from the barn of trainer Steve
Searle. Owned by Flacco Family Farms LLC
and All-Wright Racing LLC, Lousdobb has been very
good in 2022. His record shows seven
wins from nine starts including four victories in a row. The only blemishes on his record came over a three-week
span at the end of July and early into August.
He encountered a flat tire and was declared a non-starter in the Dygert prep earlier this summer. He followed that race up with
a break at the start the next week in the final, resulting in a sixth-place
effort. A trip to the fair
at Altamont saw Lousdobb build a 27-length lead before
breaking stride which left him to finish second. Since that race though it has been clear
sailing as Casey Leonard has handled him perfectly in four straight victories
as Lousdobb is the one to beat in the Dygert.
Race 8 - $144,000 Kadabra –
2yo Colt and Gelding Trot
Post position tells the story once again as the top two
contenders in the Kadabra are stuck on the far
outside of the full field of ten. Owned
by Bowie Racing LLC and Anthony Lombardi, Niko Man returns off a track record
effort in his last, winning his elimination by over nine-lengths in 1:56.0.
Trained by Amy Husted and driven by Kyle Husted, Niko Man has finished first or
second in seven of eight starts this year but is saddled with the far outside
post in the Kadabra final. The one who has been the toughest on Niko Man
this season is Goomster for owner/trainer Dennis
Gardner. First or second in eight of
eleven starts on the year, Goomster stepped up on the
big stage with wins in the Kadabra final in July and
again in the final at Springfield.
Breaking stride along with Niko Man at the start of his race in DuQuoin was a disappointment but he regained form with an
elimination victory at Hawthorne last week.
Kyle Wilfong drives Saturday as Goomster draws
post nine.
Race 9 - $62,000 Robert S. Molaro
– 3yo & Up Pace
In what is likely to be the fastest race of the night, the
battle between two Illinois champs takes place once again. With 52 victories in 102 career starts, Jim
Ballinger’s Fox Valley Gemini continues to show up with big efforts. With over
$660,000 in career earnings for trainer Terry Leonard, Fox Valley Gemini has
seven victories on the year in 22 starts and comes off a ten-length win in last
week’s Molaro prep. Casey Leonard is back in the bike
as he has been for the majority of Gemini’s
races. What was missing from last week’s
prep was He’zzz A Wise Sky
as he scratched sick. Owned by Triple Zzz Stable and trained by John Filomeno,
He’zzz A Wise Sky has gotten the best of Fox Valley
Gemini this season while posting 12 wins from 21 starts. A win in the Molaro
will push He’zzz A Wise Sky
over $500,000 in career earnings as the speedy five-year-old horse draws the
inside with Kyle Wilfong in the bike.
Race 10 - $154,000 Incredible Finale – 2yo Colt and
Gelding Pace
Much of the story of this final is who isn’t in the race as
much as who is in it. The pair of dominant two-year-olds
early in the season, Fox Valley Jasper and Fox Valley Langley are not a part of
the Saturday final after coming up short in a loaded elimination last week.
With those two out, it leads to a wide-open race which is now led by that
elimination winner Ghost Shark, for trainer Tim Roach. Owned by Kyle Larner
and Brian Hochman, Ghost Shark looks to be the late bloomer in the field. Winless in his first six starts, Ghost Shark
and driver Travis Seekman showed he was a contender
with back-to-back third-place efforts in Springfield, beaten only a length in each
race. In DuQuoin
he grabbed his first lifetime victory and then repeated that performance in
last week’s elimination at Hawthorne, winning in a snappy 1:53.2. He draws post
four in the field of ten. Another that
may be stepping up at the right time is Fox Valley McKee for owners Fox Valley
Standardbreds and Jim Edgar. Trained by Nelson Willis, Fox Valley McKee has
been inconsistent through much of the season but stepped up to upset heavily
favored Illini Jetset in last week’s elimination, winning
in 1:53.4.
Race 11 - $185,000 Incredible Tillie – 2yo Filly Pace
The richest race of the Night of Champions card, the
Incredible Tillie will likely determine the divisional champion. The race may come down to My Daddys Revenge from the barn of Mike Brink and the Scott
Nance trained Fox Valley Kia. Both with
six wins on the season and both with victories against each other when facing
off, post may be the key on Saturday.
Drawing favorably in post five, My Daddys
Revenge nearly got to Fox Valley Kia in the final in Springfield after having
to overcome a tough outside draw. Driven
by Casey Leonard for owners Mike Brink and Lori Searle, My Daddys
Revenge went right to the top in her next two starts and never looked back,
winning by daylight in DuQuoin and again last week in
her elimination at Hawthorne. Fox Valley Kia will have to work a bit harder on
Saturday as she draws post eight in the field of ten. After winning both of her starts in Springfield,
including from the second tier in the final, Fox Valley Kia was left with too
much to do in her race in DuQuoin, closing from the
back of the pack to finish second. In
last week’s elimination she drew the inside as she showed speed. Her race
resulted in a second-place finish to Rona Mae as Kyle Wilfong returns to drive
in the final.
Race 12 - $105,000 Plum Peachy – 3yo Filly Pace
The final race of the Night of Champions card has a talented
filly who looks for her second victory on the meet’s biggest night. A winner last year as a two-year-old, Apple
Valley looks to repeat on Night of Champions for owner Michael Perrin and
trainer James Molitor. A winner of seven
of 12 starts in 2022, Apple Valley won the July edition of the Plum Peachy in a
snappy 1:52.4. She was upset in the final in Springfield by Rollnroz
and skipped the stakes in DuQuoin. That added time off may have paid off for
Apple Valley as she was sharp in last week’s prep, winning for driver Travis Seekman. She draws
favorably on Saturday, drawing post four in the stakes
final.
Hawthorne Race Course, Chicago’s
Hometown Track, races year-round in 2022. The winter harness season concluded
on Sunday, March 20. Spring thoroughbreds kick off Saturday, April 2 and
conclude Saturday, June 25. The summer harness season begins on Thursday, June
30 and races through Sunday, September 11. Fall thoroughbreds return Friday,
September 23 and race through Saturday, December 31. For any information about
Hawthorne Race Course visit our website
www.HawthorneRaceCourse.com.
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