Hinsdale, IL — It’s the time of the year when 2-year-old pacers and trotters are taking baby steps towards what their connections hope will be a successful first season of racing.

For example, Friday’s seventh and eighth races at Du Quoin have an abundant number of freshmen ICF pacing fillies with state-bred stake aspirations.

Seven of the eight horses in the 11th race field are Hawthorne’s Incredible Tillie stake eligible: Nae’s Rendezvous, CW Wise Lady, Fox Valley Tasha, Chickabell, It’s Crystal Clear, We Are Family and Hypeyourbestieup. All are also nominated for the Violet pace at Hawthorne in the fall.

The Dossie Minor Stable’s Nae’s Rendezvous was a 1:57 winner at Springfield in her last start. Patricia Fryman Photography.

Among the 11th race combatants already with a victory on their résumé is Nae’s Rendezvous, a strong 1:57 winner on June 15 at Springfield and she did it coming from out-of-it while pacing first over.

Nae’s Rendezvous is owned by her breeders Debbie Benjamin-Wolfe and Jeffrey Wolfe of Riverton, Ill. The filly’s dam Yank’s Rendezvous raced for the Wolfes from 2017 into 2019.

Yank’s Rendezvous was a surprise gift to Debbie from her husband back in 2016.

“We went to the Walker sale that year and had no intentions of getting a horse. I lost my daughter when she was 32 years old and that took a heavy toll on me. My husband urged me to go to the sale to get out of the house and get my mind off my grief.

“I’m a nurse and got infected with the H1V1 virus, which is similar to Covid, that I picked-up from a patient. It’s taken a toll on me. But I relented and went to the sale.

“I saw this little filly (Yank’s Revenzous), and just thought she was the sweetest little thing. After the sale my husband asked me to go with him to see the horse, but I said no because I knew I would fall in love with her but couldn’t have her.

“Eventually I gave in and went with Jeff to Walker’s farm and there she was in the middle of the barn, and that’s when my husband told me: ‘She’s yours.’

“I couldn’t believe it. I had been so broken up inside and now I have this sweet, beautiful animal. She’s been wonderful to be around. I watched her train every morning and it brought joy back into my life.

“After we raced her for a few years we bred her to the Walker’s sire Somestarsomewhere and named her foal Nae’s Rendezvous after my daughter Amanda whose middle name is Rene.

“Having Yank’s Rendezvous and now Nae’s Rendezvous has been a blessing and what a thrill it was to see “Nae’s” win her race at Springfield a couple of weeks ago.”

Driver Phil Knox likes what he’s seen thus far from Nae’s Rendezvous.

“Dossie (trainer Minor) has done a great job of getting the filly ready for the races,” said Phil. “That first start at Du Quoin when she was third was purely an education one for the filly as far as how to race. She learned a lot from it, and it showed in her second start at Springfield.

“The filly pretty much did it all on her own. Dossie told me before her start that if I needed to race her first up to do so. And that’s what happened. In the stretch that other horse (pacesetter It’s Crystal Clear) got away from us a little, so I had to get after my filly to keep her focused and as you saw, she responded and just took off.

“There’s a long way to go in her first season but it’s nice to get an early win. It’ll help her confidence level.”

Dossie calls Nae’s Rendezvous “a nice filly who is very easy going.”

When asked if the filly can race up front after showing she certainly can compete from off the pace, the Mississippi native replied with a laugh: “I don’t know, we haven’t raced her that way yet but I’m sure we’ll find out.”

A first-time starter in the 11th race to keep an eye on is another Somestarsomewhere filly, Chickabell, trained by Amy Husted and driven by her husband Kyle. She’s a half-sister to Rock With JK, a 1:50.1 pacer from the Rocknroll Hanover broodmare Rock With Delight. Chickabell came home in a quick :26.4 when she finished second six days ago in her Hoosier Park qualifier.

Five of the eight participants in race 10 are Hawthorne’s Night of Champion freshmen hopefuls: Big Flicka, Hermia’s Star, Fox Valley August, RK’s Toni and Fox Valley Venice.