Springfield, IL — The racing action was “hot and heavy” in the finale of Hawthorne’s summer downstate meeting Friday afternoon (July 28) at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

After a huge 20-race card and more than six hours of racing in the sweltering heat, Fox Valley Landen solidified his top spot in the ICF 3-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 60 lifetime winner’s circle visits.

Fox Valley Fever: Fox Valley Landen, nicely handled by driver Kyle Husted, powered his way to his fifth consecutive victory in 1:50, 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 Fox Valley 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 Landen made it five straight victories at Springfield with a 1:50 score on Friday. Patricia Fryman Photography.

Fox Valley Leah has been much the best in her last four starts, which included a 1:51.1 romp in a Violet stakes division three weeks ago. The Erv Miller trainee, unraced as a 2-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 called upon by driver, winning the top pacing event on Friday’s program in 1:50.3.

The 8-year-old star of the Terry Leonard stable had to take quite a bit of air to collar 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 career for owner Jim Ballinger.

Friday’s featured trot saw trainer-driver Matt Avenatti perfectly rate 4-year-old mare La Lolita to a career best 1:53.3 mile. Avenatti sent La Lolita right to the front, where the Cantab Hall mare rattled off fractions of :28.1, :56.2 and 1:24.1 before holding off Funky Wiggle by a nose for owner Derek Harmon. Lousdobb (Casey Leonard) rallied for 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, 39-38, over Cordarius Stewart.

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

Travis Seekman had 27 winners on the meet, 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 horsepeople 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 28 record, with a stifling heat index of 113 degrees.