Radiant Diamond (Kyle Wilfong) was an easy winner in her ISFCS division for three-year-old trotting fillies. (Four Footed Fotos)

By Mike Paradise, for the IHHA

The Husted stable’s Fox Valley Landen proved once again he belongs on top of the ICF three-year-old colt and gelding pacing division with an impressive 1:51.1 victory in Sunday’s $41,000 Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes showdown at Hawthorne.

Trained by Amy Husted and smartly handled by her husband Kyle, the Somestarsomewhere gelding extended his winning streak to seven with the help of a heads-up move from his 32-yeear-old driver.

Fox Valley Landen raced in the two-hole behind Fox Valley Jasper (Cordarius Stewart) from the first half (:56.2) on and was begging for racing room at the top of the stretch. When his driver saw daylight along the rail, he sent his prize pacer to it where “Landen” burst through and pulled away.

The only question was how much the heavy 1-2 favorite would win by. Ghost Shark (Travis Seekman) was second best, beaten almost five lengths. Fox Valley Patriot (Casey Leonard) came on for third.

Fox Valley Dominance: Sunday’s 18-race marathon began with the first of a quartet of $17,250 divisions of the ISFCS for two-old state-bred fillies and it saw the third choice in the wagering Fox Valley Sadie, perfectly handled by Kyle Husted, carve out a winning trip from the outside eight-slot, getting up in time for trainer Amy Husted and owners John Schwarz (Wood Dale, IL), David Brigham (Concord, IL) and the Husted Stable (Altamont, IL) with a new lifetime mark of 1:53.4. The same trio also own Fox Valley Landen.

Kyle was able to get a second over journey for Fox Valley Sadie ($7.40) behind the 9-5 second choice, and eventual runner-up Fox Valley Tasha (Cordarius Stewart). The pacesetting 8-5 betting favorite Sleazy Sister (Casey Leonard) held on for third.

In the second juvenile filly grouping, Kyle Wilfong aptly rated Fox Valley Taran ($7.80) to a wire-to-wire victory over the 2-5 public’s choice Chickabell (Kyle Husted) who enjoyed a pocket trip but did some costly drifting in the lane and had to settle for the bridesmaid role, a neck behind in the 1:54.3 mile.

Trained by Rob Rittof for Floridan owner Doug Overhiser, Fox Valley Taran was able to get away with very soft first half fractions of 30 flat and 29 flat before posting her third victory in five career 0utings.

The first double-digit winner on the card came in race five when the Steve Searle trained Fox Valley Tessa ($14.20) patiently handled by Kyle Wilfong proved fastest in the lane at 6-1 odds in the third freshman filly division.

The 1:56.1 mile was the first triumph in four career starts for the Time To Roll filly and her proprietors Brian Code (Bradford, IL, James Nellinger (Peoria, IL), Gretchen Barnett (San Diego, CA) and Searle (Grant Park, (IL).

The fourth and last $17,250 split for the gals went as expected as the even-money choice Hypeyourbestieup gave Kyle Wilfong his fourth championship drive of the night. The 1:53.4 mile was a season best for the Jamaica Patton trained Somestarsomewhere filly co-owned by Jamaica (Rochester, IL) and Cedric Daniels (Jackson, Mississippi).

Strumming Along: The overwhelming 1-9 favorite Guitar Mam (Kyle Husted) hardened his early position at the top of the ICF two-year-old male pacing divisions with an easy win in 1:54 flat, more than six lengths better than 28-1 longshot Love Is Blue (Gary Rath).

Once the 9-2 second choice Erico Palazzo (Casey Leonard) made a break in the first turn, Husted sent the Rob Rittof trainee after the early leader Catatonic Iguana (Travis Seekman). Guitar Man ($2.20) had command before the leisurely 59.2 half and the first of two $21,000 divisions became a race for second place with Guitar Man coming home in a sizzling 26 seconds flat.

Doug Overhiser (New Smyma Beach, FL) and Mark Winship (Canton, IL) share ownership of the promising Somestarsomewhere freshman who is 5 for 6 in his initial campaign.

The second division went to the 6-5 favorite Fox Valley Julian (Casey Leonard) in 1:52.1, equaling the track record for a two-year-old male pacer. The Mike Brick trained gelding wore down the front-stepping You Can Never Tell (Juan Franco) with a wicked 26 flat last panel.

James Happ of Sterling, Illinois owns the Somestarsomewhere offspring who sold for $19,000 at the 2022 Walker Standardbred sale.

Looking Gorgeous:  Du Quoin titleholder Gorgeous Big Guy ($3.40), owned and trained by Tim Roach, was a comfortable five length winner in the second $21,000 colt split in 1:54.2. The 3-5 favorite got to the front on the backside and after an easy-going half (:59.1), the outcome was not in doubt for the Michigan based Roach, who also owns the Ashlee’s Big Guy colt.

The first-time starter Freedom’s Playboy (Kyle Wilfong) had traffic problems and did well to come on strong in the stretch to be second.

Standing Tall:  A well-timed move from driver and trainer Mike Brink saw the even-money favorite Stand By Your Man ($4.00) overtake the early leaders in the initial $28,000 first ISCFS split for first season Illinois bred colt and gelding trotters.

The son of Lou’s Legacy is now two-for-two in his young career after also prevailing in a division of the First Lady stake at Du Quoin for the Illinois quartet of Mark Brown (Chatham), Jeffrey Clauson (Macomb), Robert Lacey (Nokomis) and Mike Brink (Springfield)

Driver Kyle Wilfong was back to get his picture taken by the track photographer after guiding the Curt Grummel trained Whiskey Lou to a rather comfortable first place finish in the other state-bred stake for juvenile filly trotters.

Wilfong brushed Whiskey Lou ($3.00) to the front on the backstretch and the daughter of Lou’s Legacy wasn’t really tested from there, pulling away from the second-place trotter Ally Baba (Cordarius Stewart) by five lengths for Savannah, Missouri winning owner Randy Will.

On Cruise Control: It was strictly “no contest” as the Midwest division of the Erv Miller stable’s Niko Man ($2.20), steered by Cordarius Stewart, breezed to his sixth consecutive victory in the first of a couple of $23,500 divisions stake for sophomore male trotters.

When Lous Andiamo (Casey Leonard) and Tankmetodennyland (Travis Seekman) both went off stride at the start, Niko Man (post one) easily grabbed command of the five-horse field and floated to a :59.4 half. The talented trotter then waved “bye-bye” to his foes and was almost an 11 lengths winner at the end of the 1:54.2 mile for co-owners Doug Overhiser (Florida) and Anthony Lombardi of Morrison, IL.

It was just as easy for the prohibitive favorite Goomster ($2.10) in the second season male trotting stake as Goomster was more than four lengths conqueror for owner and trainer Dennis Gardner of West Salem, Illinois.

Confidently handled by Travis Seekman, the winning Cassis gelding sailed to a 58.2 first half, and then gradually drew away from his rivals while heading to the three-quarters (1:27 flat). The 1:55.3 triumph was Goomster’s eight in ten season tries.

Sparkling Performance: Fox Valley Shania (Cordarius Stewart) chalked up her seventh season win in 16 starts in the first $23,500 ISFCS division for three-year-old trotting fillies. The Erv Miller trained distaffer held off Dawn Of Creation (John De Long) by a half-length in the 1:57.3 mile

The 15th race was the second of a pair of $23,500 three-year-old filly trotting splits. In the first division Radiant Diamond (Travis Seekman) at 1-5, went from near the back of the pack at the quarter mile pole (:29.1) to the front at the 59.4 half in what turned out to be the winning move.

The Richard Schrock trained Dontcheatonmenow filly was strong on the front-end, drawing away from the second-place finisher Lou Sangreal (Casey Leonard) in the lane to pick-up her sixth first place finish of the season in 1:56.4 for the Illinois duo of Jodi Peacock (Cantrall) and Carol A. Reynolds (Springfield).

Staying Hot: The two $28,500 ISFCS two-year-old colt and gelding trot divisions looked to be very competitive, and the first split certainly was as the 9-5 co-favorite Fireballs Pride got up in deep stretch to overtake the other 9-5 choice Shady Maple Alstar (Juan Franco) by one length in a 1:59.1 mile. Tru Cash (Cordarius Stewart) at 2-1 was a game third.

Fireballs Pride gave driver Kyle Wilfong a five-bagger on the lengthy program. Trained by Darla Martin-Lohman (Effingham, IL), who shares ownership of the Dejarmbro gelding with Charles Doehring (Brownsville, IL), the winner has a flashy first season record of five wins and 3 seconds in eight starts.

The second division favorites Lous Private Eye and Little Chipper failed to land in the top three finishers as the 25-1 longshot Lous Mandalorian (Juan Franco) came on with a rush to pop at $52.60 in 1:59 flat, knocking more than 10 seconds off his previous best winning mile of 2:09.3 on a fair track.

Owned by Flacco Family Farms and trained by Roshun Triggs, Lous Mandalorian won for the fifth time in his first campaign. Lota Grit (Kyle Wilfong) was second and Fox Valley Parker (Gary Rath) took the third spot.

Chalk Up Two More: In the $23,500 two sophomore filly pacing splits the streaking Fox Valley Leah (Cordarius Stewart) was successful for the eighth time in a row for the trio of Florida resident Doug Overhiser, George Golmes (Oak Brook, IL) and trainer Erv Miller of Pennsylvania.

The winning time of 1:51.3 was a tick faster than her Time Dancer stake conquest last month at Du Quoin.

Fox Valley Kia (Phil Knox) ratted off a quick 55.3 first half but couldn’t keep Fox Valley Leah from rolling past for a three-length triumph.

Second

The second filly pace concluded the more than six hour plus epic program with the heavy 2-5 favorite My Daddys Revenge (John De Long), from the barn of Mike Brink, holding off The Magical Woman (Cordarius Stewart) in a 1:53 flat clocking.

It was season victory number five for the Revenge Shark filly owned by the Springfield, Illinois twosome of conditioner Mike Brink and Lori Searle