Hawthorne Harness: Night of Champions crowns best in Illinois for 2020

The Standardbred stars in Illinois were out in full force on Saturday at Hawthorne Racecourse as the 2020 Night of Champions took place.

Driver Casey Leonard won three of the Illinois conceived and foaled Championships, taking the $68,000 Robert S. Molaro for older pacers with 5-year-old Yankee Skyscaper gelding Fox Valley Gemini in 1:50 1/5 for trainer Terry Leonard and owner Jim Ballinger, the $88,000 Fox Valley Flan for 2-year-old trotting fillies with Loulita, a daughter of Lou's Legacy, in 1:59 2/5 for trainer Steven Searle, co-owner/breeder Flacco Family Farms LLC. and co-owner Dr. Patrick Graham, and the $109,000 Erwin F. Dygert Memorial for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters with Fox Valley Quest, a gelding by Pizzazzed, in 1:55 for trainer Tom Simmons and owners Carl Lacy and Benita Simmons.

Marcus Miller was in town for Night of Champions and went home with two prizes, taking the $98,000 Beulah Dygert Memorial for 3-year-old trotting fillies with El Oh Govner, by Cassis, in 1:57 4/5 for trainer Michael Rogers and owners Donald and Sharri Huddleston and the $71,000 Incredible Finale Championship for rookie pacing colts and geldings with Sagebrush gelding Well Basically in 1:56 1/5 for trainer Erv Miller and owners Anthony Lombardi and owners Engel Stable Of IL LLC.

Steven Searle also had another training victory in the $67,000 Plesac Championship for older trotters as his Lousraptor (Juan Franco), a 4-year-old gelding by Lou's Legacy, turned a second-over trip into a 2 3/4 length win in 1:54 3/5 over stablemate Louscardamon (Leonard). Lousraptor is a homebred for Flacco Family Farms LLC.

Bootsy Bombay (Travis Seekman) overcame post ten to win the $80,000 Incredible Tillie Championship for 2-year-old pacing fillies in 1:56 2/5 for trainer Nick Prather. A daughter of Major Bombay, Bootsy Bombay is owned by James Greer.

Fistfullofdollars gave sire Lou's Legacy another winner when he took the $118,000 Kadabra Championship for rookie trotting colts and geldings in 2:01 3/5. Kyle Wilfong was in the bike for co-owner/trainer Mike Brink and co-owners Darin Tournear, Jeffrey Clauson, and Mark Brown. Fistfullofdollars was another for Flacco Family Farms LLC., too, as they bred the gelding.

He'zzz A Wise Sky, who won the Incredible Finale Championship in 2019, came back this year to win the $86,000 Robert F. Carey Jr. Memorial Championship for sophomore pacing colts and geldings by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:51 3/5 with Bobby Smolin at the controls. Don Filomeno bred and trains the victorious Yankee Skyscaper colt and trains him for Triple Zzz Stable.

Fox Valley Exploit, driven by trainer and co-owner Kyle Husted, parked into the far turn to get the lead, but once she did, she pulled away stylishly through the stretch to win the $108,000 Plum Peachy Championship for 3-year-old pacing fillies by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:53 2/5. David Brigham shares ownership of the daughter of Sportsmaster.

Completing the Night of Champions victors was Allbeastnobeauty, who rallied in the lane to take the $68,000 Tony Maurello Championship for older pacing mares by two lengths in 1:51 4/5. Trainer Todd Warren also drove Allbeastnobeauty, and the 5-year-old daughter of Sportmaster is owned by Brookside Stables and Keith Ravis.