Springfield Opens Friday (08/12/10)

Posted Thursday August 12, 2010

                                                          By Mike Paradise   

   Racing at the Springfield State Fair gets under way Friday afternoon with Illinois State Fair Colt take elimination races for two-year-olds of both gaits and sexes. First post will be 12 noon. Unlike in past years when 4 o’clock first posts were implemented, the openers on all Springfield programs will be at noon including Illinois State Fair Colt Championship Day on Thursday, August 19.

  Entries closed Tuesday morning at Maywood Park for both Friday’s freshman stakes and for Saturday afternoon’s card that included events for both 3-year-old pacers and trotters of both sexes. Entries will be taken at Springfield Friday morning for the Monday, August 16 card that is headed up by four open company Review Stakes.

  The Springfield Draw Schedule can be found at both the Balmoral and Maywood web-sites as part of the current Chicago circuit condition sheet.

  Short on Elims: With the sharp decline in nominations for both the freshman and sophomore State Fair Colt Stakes you won’t be seeing those big 10-horse fields in the eliminations like you did in the past.. The first five finishers in both the freshman filly and colt trots and the juvenile paces all will advance to the Final.

  The three-year-old state bred events came up even shorter, especially for fillies. Only eight horses were entered for both the 3-year-old filly pace and trot so $4,500 prep races on each will be contested on Saturday’s program. The second season stake for male trotters also won’t need any elims. A $4,500 nine horse field prep instead is on tap.

  The glamour 3-year-old colt and gelding pacing division will have a pair of elimination races however a fifth place finish in each of the six-horse fields is all that’s needed to get a shot at the Championship on next Wednesday, August 18 card.

  The first elim division from the one-slot out has Ucallthatanexcuse, Fox Valley Emelio, The Roman Conquest, Fox Valley Barbosa, Delco Willobee and Iam Bonsera. In the second split Fox Valley Escort, Finance The Master, Enry, Coopestown Kid, Power Of A Moment and Voomerang (in that order) will “Duke” it out.

  Freshman Series Next: Balmoral Park will initiate a pair two-year-old pacing series—The Big Dog for colts and geldings and The Pacific for fillies, starting with Saturday’s program, a good idea with Springfield going on. The Champion On Ice Series for maiden trotters (fillies are mares allowed two wins) will get under way next Wednesday, August 18.

  Both freshman pacing series are for non-winners of one race as of August 3 with two legs to be contested on each and a $6,000 (est.) final later this month on both. There’s a $25 entry fee for each $3,500 leg purse and the series does give the opportunity to race your young horse three consecutive weeks.

  Romantic Jet Tops Nationally: Perry Smith’s five-year-old mare Romantic Jet, the likely favorite in Friday night’s 14th race at Maywood Park, as won more races thus far this season than any other pacer or trotter in the country with her total of 15. The daughter of Jet Laag will be making her 27th start tomorrow night and all 15 of her 2010 victories have come at Maywood and all at the $4,000 claiming level. The mare is 0-for-4 this season at Balmoral. Perry owns and trains Romantic Jet.

  To view Archived Notes and Quotes click here.