Hawthorne Harness: Illinois Night of Champions offers big opportunity for Husted

Illinois-breds get their moment in the spotlight on Saturday (October 14) night when Hawthorne Racecourse presents the Championship finals for the Prairie State. Nearly $1.2 million in purse money will be on the line, and driver Kyle Husted is in prime position to take home a sizable portion of the loot.

Husted, along with his wife Amy, handle a stable of 34 horses in Illinois. While he has taken his show on the road to the East Coast at times during his career, which includes just shy of 900 driving wins and 194 training victories before his wife took over those duties, the couple has gone to Florida with about 15 or so babies the last couple of years during the winter months.

"We've played around with the idea of coming back to the Meadowlands for the winter a little bit," said Husted. "I broke by leg pretty bad a couple of years ago and we went to Florida during the winter. That has been the norm since then. I kind of change my mind every day on whether we should go to Florida or Meadowlands.

"Everybody wants to go to Florida to stay warm but I get down there and start going stir-crazy. I was flying back and forth from Florida to Chicago the last winter meet. I went to Cal Expo the year before during the winter. I love training babies in Florida, but I have to race or I get antsy."

Husted's first opportunity is in the 7:10 P.M. (CDT) opener on the 12-race card with Lou Sangreal from post three in the $83,000 Beaulah Dygert Memorial for 3-year-old trotting fillies. The Illinois native admits he'll need luck to win.

"She actually surprised me a little bit at DuQuoin. I moved her on what was probably the best filly and she hung tough [finishing fourth], but she probably has her work cut out for her on Saturday," said Husted.

Husted will be in the bike behind Fox Valley Exploit in the second race, a mare that his wife Amy trains and he co-owns with David Brigham. Named the Tony Maurello Memorial, the $45,000 race for older pacing mares finds Husted in post seven, but he'll also have a watchful eye on Dandy's MNM, who he also owns.

"She's been a blessing for sure. I think this is her fifth Night of Champions and she is undefeated, so we are trying to get one more with her and hopefully make her a broodmare," said Husted, who added that retirement is not an immediate guarantee. "I haven't fully discussed it with my partner but if she can win this one, I don't know what's left for her to prove. She's getting up there [in age] and I think she's looking forward to making babies."

While her form isn't perfect, Husted said her recent fifth-place finish is somewhat deceiving on paper.

"I snowed her in. She won't take too much air too many weeks in-a-row, so I sat in hoping to shake loose and it never happened. I look for her to be a little better this week," said Husted before commenting on Dandy's MNM from post four. "Kyle Wilfong and I have been bouncing around driving her since she was a 2- and 3-year-old. I bought a part of her mid-summer and she's been pretty good ever since. It wouldn't surprise me if she stepped up and won."

The team behind Fox Valley Exploit adds owner John Schwarz Jr. to the equation and sends out Get E Up from the outside post six in the fourth race $45,000 male championship for older pacers (race four).

"He was a good 2-year-old and not a bad 3-year-old, really. He was a horse we sent to Noel Daley in the winter and he did a great job with him," said Husted. "When he got back here he got a little sick. So we shut him down and qualified him back. I don't think he can beat He'zzz A Wise Sky but if everything goes right he can maybe be second."

Husted has the horse to beat with Fox Valley Landen in the $105,000 3-year-old colt pace named the Robert Carey Jr. Memorial (race six). The son of Somestarsomewhere has won nine of 11 starts and owns a 1:50 lifetime mark that is more than a second faster than any of his rivals have travelled, but somehow was only two-for-11 in his first year of racing.

"He's been pretty special this year and he's as sharp as he's been all year," said Husted. "Everybody asks about what has changed this year. I thought he was the greatest horse I've ever trained from the time I bought him. He was just unlucky last year and had a lot of steering issues. If you go back and watch, he got beat in the first stakes race because he was 10-wide in the middle of the track, then he made a break or two. He's really just matured into the horse I always thought he was."

Zions Really Chilly has the services of Husted in the $90,000 Erwin Dygert Memorial in race seven. The 3-year-old gelding trotter has only missed the board three times in his career but unfortunately two of those instances were in his most recent starts.

"I drove him really poorly last week. He's really headstrong off the car," said Husted. "He's in with some horses that are standouts and we'll try to pick up some pieces."

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In the $45,000 Plesac Championship for older trotters, Husted gets another go behind the Jennifer Bongiorno-trained On Higher Ground. The pair were an easy two length winner over the Hawthorne surface last weekend as the 3-5 chalk and appear to be poised to repeat in the eighth race from post six.

"He raced phenomenal last week. They sent him out here ready to go and he was well in-hand," said Husted.

Husted lands on Guitar Man from post eight in the $174,000 Incredible Finale Championship for 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers (race 10). Trained by Rob Rittof, the gelding has compiled a solid 8-5-1-2 record but has settled for second and third recently in preliminary legs of the series.

"Earlier in the year I thought he could race any horse in the country. He won well in-hand a couple of times in [1:]51 and a piece," said Husted. "Since we've come up to Hawthorne he's had a little bit of steering issues; last week I couldn't get him off the horse in front of me. He's got plenty of 'go' and Rob Rittof does a fantastic job, so come Saturday hopefully we'll see the horse I think he is.

"The last two weeks I've tried to race him out of a hole and he certainly prefers not to be in one. On Saturday I'll try to give him what he wants."

The richest race on the Hawthorne card is the $187,000 Incredible Tillie Championship for 2-year-old filly pacers (race 11) and "Team Husted" was lucky enough to get three into the contest. Fox Valley Sadie from post three and Chickabell from post five own equal 1:53 4/5 lifetime marks and neither horse has been worse than second in their careers. Fox Valley Gina has yet to miss the board in six starts and goes from post seven. Kyle was forced to make a choice between the three great options.

"They've all been very good. I'd been sweating trying to decide which one to drive. I told all of the owners that I would take whichever horse drew better," said Husted, who cedes Chickabell to Todd Warren and Fox Valley Gina to Kyle Wilfong. "I tortured Todd more than anyone else on which one I would drove. Every week I would change things. 'Sadie' would win and I would tell him he could drive the other one. Then Chickabell would win and I would say he could drive 'Sadie.'"

As to which is the best of the trio, Husted admits Fox Valley Gina might be slightly behind the top pair, but it was hard to separate his morning-line favorites.

"I go back and forth all the time on who I think is better," said Husted. "Chickabell can do it with no cover. 'Sadie' probably needs a little cover, even though she has won on the front. I think Chickabell is the fastest of the group but 'Sadie' is pretty game.

The evening closes out for Husted with Senorita Mouse in the $116,000 Plum Peachy for 3-year-old filly pacers. While she'll be a longshot from post five, Husted was encouraged by her effort last week.

"She turned a big corner last week. She followed a horse that is probably not the best in the division but she raced super," said Husted. "Fox Valley Kia has the 10-hole and Fox Valley Leah is outside, so I think they'll be going forward, and the faster they go early the better it sets up for her."

Before the big Saturday even begins Husted will be in Indiana Thursday night to compete in an Indiana Sires Stakes Super Final for the first time in his career. Trained by Amy and driven by Kyle for owner Doug Overhiser, Truly Unbelievable is 30-1 from post four in the $250,000 race for 2-year-old filly trotters (race 12).

"She's a fantastic filly. She was probably over her head in the Doherty but still raced well and she had bled a little bit on us last time, so this will be her first start on Lasix," said Husted.

For the Illinois native Husted, he's grateful that racing is still surviving in his home state and thrilled that he has been able to make a living despite contraction and somewhat limited opportunities.

"Knock on wood, so far I've been very fortunate," said Husted. "Nights like this make it much easier. The overnights are down from what people hoped for and what they had been, but having these types of horses make it all possible."