Casey Leonard continued his hot start at Springfield by driving six more winners on Friday’s program (Terry Young Photo) 



By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

  While the Illinois 3-year-old filly trot division is going for a lot less money this week than a week earlier, there’s a lot of pride on the line and a possible effect on late season division honors when they tangle in Saturday’s feature race.

 The $6,600 ninth race conditioned trot lured not only both recent $47,947 Violet division stake winners Kays In Charge and Whata Legacy, but last year’s champion Lou’s My Number and a Violet division runner-up in Gypsy Rose Lou, unraced as a freshman

 Kays In Charge will carry a four-race winning streak Saturday contest however the draw wasn’t kind to the Can’t Afford It filly who landed the seven-slot in an eight horse field. In her Violet division she had the three post and Lou’s My Number the seven, nevertheless driver Marcus Miller gave up the front to the Steve Searle filly, took the pocket, and zipped past rather easily in the lane with a 1:56.3 mile.

 Casey Leonard had his choice to guide either filly today and as he did in the Violet and again chose Lou’s My Number who was a model of consistency for Casey as a freshman, hauling in over $168,000 and finishing first or second in 10 of 11 outings.

  Kays In Charge will be handled for the first time by Wyatt Avenatti, her fourth different driver in five unbeaten season starts.

 What A Legacy had trouble at times staying on stride in her juvenile campaign but when she did, the filly did perform very well for trainer Mike Brink, banking almost $85,000 in 2024. Brink kept flat a week ago and coasted to a 1:57.2 triumph. The Lou’s Legacy filly has post six Saturday.

 Young Illinois trotting guru Curt Grummel will have a one-two punch going postward in the feature. He’ll steer Almost Home away from the rail and now turns over the lines on the less experienced Gypsy Rose Lou (post five), to Kyle Husted. Another Lou’s Legacy filly, Gypsy Rise Lou has been second in all three of her career starts, the last to Kays In Charge,

  Almost Home had just one victory for the Grummel stable as a freshman, however it came in a leg of the Fox Valley Flan her last start as a 2-year-old, she did beat Lous My Number in it. The daughter of New Jersey Viking was second in her sophomore debut and took third in her Violet despite a not-so-easy trip from the six slot.

 Toughestofthetough (Juan Franco) toppled Lous My Number in late May at Springfield before taking the runner-up role to Kays In Charge’s Downstate Classic win at Decatur earlier this month.

 High Class Heidi (Jordan Patton) and Modern Luxury (Clay Simpson) are the longshot aspirants.

 Saturday’s contest for ICF 3-year-old colts and geldings will see the Tom Simmons stable’s Frontier Macho (Casey Leonard) try to buck the outside seven-slot and make it five-for-five to start off his second season.

  Frontier Macho’s main threats appear to be from the three inside trotters, Mustang Danny (Travis Seekman), Sunburnt Silverado (Grummel) and One Trip Chip (Archie Buford). Shady Maple Becker (Wyatt Avenatti), Moon Face Boy (Jordan Patton), and Hopes De Vie (Cordarius Stewart) complete the seventh race field.

 A race earlier, defending aged trotting mare division champ Marvelous Mystery (Grummel)) and 2023 Illinois Horse of the Year Goomster (Seekman) will oppose each other in a condition trot that also lured Lous Mandalorian, Loulita, Dirty Money and Perlucky.

  Make That 10 Straight:  Defending Illinois Horse of the Year Cash Money Twenty came on with a rush in the lane to chalk up his tenth consecutive victory Friday with a 1:53 flat mile.

 Driver Casey Leonard was content to race his talented 3-year-old in fourth through most of the going and waited until midway in the last turn for more from the star of the Mike Brink stable and a gelded son of Stevensville responded. Dandy’s Freedom (Seekman) came up strong in the lane to finish second.

  Friday’s fastest mile belonged to Rock N Republic (Seekman). The 7-year-old Nick Prather trained gelding lowered his lifetime best with a 1:50.3 clocking