By Mike Paradise, for the IHHA

You could understand why owner and trainer Dennis Gardner was pumping his fists upward after Friday’s feature event at Springfield. His three-year-old ICF trotter Goomster not only avenged his only loss of the season, but he also made the Illinois bred program proud by beating some very good open company trotters.

Perfectly rated by Travis Seekman, the Cassis gelding was sent right to the front, and cut fractions of 27.4 and 56.4 before rattling off consecutive 28 flat panels to a 1:52.4 winning mile, a new lifetime mark for his elated West Salem, Illinois owner.

A week ago, the front-stepping Goomster was overtaken in the late going by the Illinois two-year-old champion filly Marvelous Mystery however on this Friday afternoon the star of the Dennis Gardner’s stable wasn’t going to be denied his 11th victory in 19 career starts and his 6th in 7 tries this year.

Bluebird Deacon (Cordarius Stewart). an Open trot winner last month at Oak Grove, came on to be second best, beaten by two and one-half lengths. Reign And Shine won the battle for third over Marvelous Mystery.

 Looking Good: Several state bred two-year-olds were prominent winners on Friday’s card as they prepare for next month’s Illinois State Fair ICF championships at the Springfield and Du Quoin fairgrounds.

The Amy Husted stable’s Chickadee motored to a 1:54.3 clocking when she nosed out Fox Valley Tasha (Cordarius Stewart) in their third race matchup and the two-year-old ICF filly pacer did it coming from the seven-post in an eight-horse field. She’s now two-for-two for her career.

Fox Valley Taran, nicely handled by Matt Avenatti, stayed perfect in her initial pair of freshman starts for trainer Rob Rittof, easily prevailing in 1:55.3 in race six.

The Herman Wheeler Stable’s You Can Never Tell (Casey Leonard) let it be known he means business in the ICF juvenile colt and gelding division with a 1:55.3 triumph in his second career start, avenging the gelding’s first season loss to Guitar Man who was third best this time behind the runner-up Erico Pallazzo.

Chickadee, Fox Valley Taran, and You Can Never Tell all are progenies of the 2022 Illinois Stallion of the Year Somestarsomewhere who stands at Walker’s Standardbreds of Sherman, Illinois.

On the Illinois second season trotting category, Zora Moon (Jamaica Patton), winner of 3 of her first 4 career starts, had another strong effort but couldn’t hold off the first starter Whiskey Lou, driven by her conditioner Curt Grummel, who also trains the third-place finisher Calypso Moon in the 1:59.3 mile.

Calypso Moon is the two-year-old full sister of last year’s ICF Harness Horse of the Year Funky Wiggle who won her qualifier at Hoosier Park on Thursday in 1:59 by almost five lengths.

After five second place finishers in as many seasons starts Dennis Gardner’s three-year-old trotter Tankmetodennyland got his initial triumph the hard way in race 12. Despite being parked out in both turns, Goomster’s stablemate pulled away to win in 1:56.4, taking almost four seconds off his previous best time.

Deebo on a Roll: The Cassis freshman Deenbo has quickly established himself as one of the favorites in the Illinois two-year-old male trotting division.

Also owned and trained by Dennis Gardner, the promising freshman coasted Thursday to his fifth victory in six lifetime starts, and his fourth in a row at Springfield with Travis Seekman driving.

The Rob Rittof trained Showboat Shooting captured Thursday’s featured conditioned pace at the Springfield Fair Grounds and he did it the hard way, rallying from seventh, and last, at the half-mile pole, thanks to a heady drive from Juan Franco.

The eight-year-old gelding Mingo, catch-driven by Casey Leonard, snapped a 26-race losing streak Thursday afternoon for Mattoon, Illinois owner Jon D. Huddleson. The Jill Brown trained pacer did it from the eight-hole in front end fashion with a 1:54 flat mile.

  Getting Interesting: Casey Leonard had a four-bagger on Thursday and four more successful drives on Friday to move into second place with 23 at the Hawthorne Downstate meet, just four behind the leader Cordarius Stewart.

Travis Seekman is in third place with 19 after bringing home five winners on the Thursday program and adding two more Friday.