Rivzonaroll tries to vanquish familiar rivals again in Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity

Six horses exiting the Sun Power Stakes and a first-time starter compose the field for the Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity on Saturday at Hawthorne, the last stake race of the year for Chicago-area Thoroughbred racing.

Rivzonaroll raced wire to wire winning the Nov. 19 Sun Power and will face the second-, third-, fourth-, fifth-, and eighth-place finishers from that six-furlong sprint for Illinois-bred 2-year-olds.

The Edgar once was a $100,000 race run around two turns, but now it’s a $50,000 race run at 6 1/2 furlongs.

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In the Sun Power, Rivzonaroll got a clear lead over Lookin for Bala, but Lookin for Bala has ample early speed, too, and his jockey, Chris Emigh, might try to apply more pressure this time. Neither horse might really want the extra half-furlong they get Saturday, leaving Fever Nation, who was fourth in the Sun Power, and debuting Sawyer Fox the more appealing plays in the Edgar.

Fever Nation is trained by Chris Block, who won the Pat Whitworth Illinois Futurity last Saturday with Miss River Rat. He is a homebred owned by Jim Edgar, the former Illinois governor for whom this race is named. Fever Nation faded through the final furlong in his first two starts and might have more ability than he’s yet shown.

Sawyer Fox has posted workouts in Kentucky dating to mid-July and could be live making his career debut for trainer Wayne Catalano, who bred the Hit It a Bomb colt and co-owns him. He wouldn’t have to be a star to win first out in the last Illinois stake of 2023.

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