Fox Valley Landen (Kyle Husted) made it five straight victories Friday at Springfield,

his second in a quick 1:50 flat. (Patricia Fryman Photography)

By Mike Paradise, for the IHHA

The racing action was “hot and heavy” in the finale of Hawthorne’s summer downstate meeting Friday afternoon at Springfield with the emphasis on the word ‘hot.’

After a huge 20 card and more than six hours of racing in the sweltering heat we learned that heat Fox Valley Landen solidified his top spot in the ICF three-year-old male pacing division, and then some; Fox Valley Leah has risen to the top of the state bred filly sophomore pacing group, and the gritty Fox Valley Gemini has moved to within just one victory of the 60 lifetime winner’s circle visits.

Fox Valley Fever: Fox Valley Landen, nicely handled by his driver Kyle Husted, powered his way to his fifth consecutive victory in a very quick time of 1:50 flat, equaling his mark set in his Cardinal triumph last month at Springfield.

Fox Valley Landen’s five wins were tops at the meet and his pair of 1:50 miles were the fastest at the downstate summer session.

Fox Valley Steeler (Casey Leonard) took the field to a quick 55 first half with “Landen “in third but on the move. In the lane, the son of Somestarsomewhere was in complete command, winning by four widening lengths over runner-up Fox Valley Patriot, a nose better Kage Daniel.

Fox Valley Leah has been much the best in her last four starts that included a 1:51.1 romp in a Violet stake division three weeks ago. The Erv Miller trainee, unraced as a two-year-old, coasted to a 1:52.3 clocking in Friday’s opener.

No. 60 is Next: Just as he’s done countless times in his racing career Fox Valley Gemini showed his grit and determination when driver Casey Leonard calls upon him, winning the top pacing event on Friday’s program in 1:50.3.

The now eight-year-old star of the Terry Leonard stable had to take quite a bit of air to collar the pacesetter Great Seats (Wyatt Avenatti) who sped to a speedy 54.4 half, but as usual Fox Valley Gemini dug in a little deeper in the lane, coming home in 27.2 to win for the 59th time in his brilliant career for owner Jim Ballinger of Atwater, Illinois.

Friday’s featured trot race saw Matt Avenatti perfectly rate the four-year-old mare La Lolita to an upset victory over some very good state-breds with a career best 1:53.3 mile.

Matt also trains La Lolita who he sent right to the front, where the Cantab Hall mare rattled off fractions if 28.1, 56.2 and 1:24.1 before holding off Funky Wiggle by a nose for Kentucky owner Derek Harmon. Lousdobb (Casey Leonard) came on to be third.

Down to the Wire It came down to the last couple of races on the program to decide the leading driver of the eight-week meet and it went to Casey Leonard by just one win, 39 to 38 for Cordarius Stewart.

Cordarius, who had five winners on the program, came through with his last drive of the day, Illini Diva in race 17 to tie Casey. However, one race later the Harvard, Illinois native later drove the Tom Simmons stable’s Senorita Mous a new winning lifetime mark of 1:55.1.

Travis Seekman also had an excellent meet with 27 winners, good for third best.

The trainer title went to Erv Miller with 21 first place finishers. Kevin Miller was second with 13. Fox Valley Standardbreds ran away with the meet’s top breeder award with 42 victories, while their stallion Somestarsomewhere led the way in the meet’s sire category with 39 winners.

Now That’s Hot: To say it was a scorching day of work for horses and horsemen alike might be a bit of an understatement. When the six plus hour racing program concluded the temperature had reached 97 degrees, a Springfield July 28th record, with a stifling heat index of 113 degrees.