Stickney, IL — Throughout the course of the summer, Illinois-bred trotters and pacers have been earning points toward Saturday’s (Nov. 15) Night of Champions at Hawthorne. Twelve finals are set to be contested with over $1.1 million in purses. Eleven of the 12 finals drew full fields, with many of the races being completely wide open.
A look at the Night of Champions card:
Race 1 – $50,000 Tony Maurello Championship
The card kicks off with a full field of aged mare pacers in the Tony Maurello Championship. This wide-open event is led by last weekend’s elimination winners Scorecard Dandy and Fox Valley Tessa. The 2024 Illinois-bred older mare pacing champ, Scorecard Dandy enters the final looking to surpass $500,000 in career earnings with a victory. The 7-year-old mare is trained by Greg Kain and has won 30 times in her career from 129 starts. She took last week’s elimination on the front end as driver Kyle Wilfong returns in the bike. Lining up next to Scorecard Dandy is last year’s champion 3-year-old filly pacer, Fox Valley Tessa, from the barn of Amy Husted. Fox Valley Tessa has won seven times in 2025 and is the TrackMaster 5-2 morning-line favorite for driver Kyle Husted.
Race 2 – $118,000 Kadabra Championship
The first of the juvenile finals comes in race 2 as 2-year-old male trotters contest the Kadabra Championship. Entering as the heavy 7-5 favorite in the morning line is Fox Valley Snapper, from the barn of trainer Erv Miller. A winner of five of six starts to open his career, Fox Valley Snapper has shown versatility, winning races on the front end early in his career and rallying late in last week’s final leg for driver Marcus Miller. Fox Valley Snapper’s biggest threat could come from Zoomster, for trainer Dennis Gardner. A winner of two of his last three, Zoomster was impressive in last week’s final leg, making the top from the start and rolling clear to a nearly 12-length score. Travis Seekman drives Zoomster in Saturday’s final.
Race 3 – $110,000 Fox Valley Flan Championship
Two-year-old female trotters line up in the Fox Valley Flan Championship as a pair of fillies look to separate themselves from the rest. Trainer Tom Simmons sends out 2-1 favorite Shady Maple Chick, with driver Casey Leonard in the bike. A winner of nine of 13 to open her career, Shady Maple Chick draws post 3 in the Saturday final. Her main competition comes from another Erv Miller trainee in Fox Valley Gimlet. Fox Valley Gimlet has won four of six starts, including last weekend’s final leg. Marcus Miller drives.
Race 4 – $50,000 Carl Becker Memorial Championship
Older female trotters line up in a full field for the Carl Becker Memorial Championship as the likely favorite will have to try to overcome a tough outside draw. Last year’s champion 3-year-old filly trotter, Whiskey Lou, drew post 10 in the Saturday final for trainer Curt Grummel. After winning 13 of 14 starts last year as a 3-year-old, Whiskey Lou has won seven of 17 races in 2025, winning both in and out of state. She took last week’s elimination in impressive fashion as Marcus Miller drives once again.
Race 5 – $50,000 Phil Langley Memorial Championship
Older male pacers will face off in the Phil Langley Memorial Championship in one of the night’s most wide-open events. After campaigns at 2 and 3 with mixed results, Fox Valley Kodiak has come into his own this season for trainer Nelson Willis. A 10-time winner on the year from 20 starts, Fox Valley Kodiak returned to Illinois last week to take the elimination for driver Kyle Wilfong. His biggest threat could come from the speedy He’zzz A Wise Sky, who took home honors last year as the top male older pacer. With career earnings approaching $1 million, He’zzz A Wise Sky has won 62 times in his career from 162 starts for trainer John Filomeno. Casey Leonard drives He’zzz A Wise Sky on Saturday.
Race 6 – $110,000 Robert F. Carey Jr. Memorial Championship
Three-year-old male pacers compete in the Robert F. Carey Jr. Memorial Championship as one of the more dominant horses on the circuit looks to close out his fine season with a victory. 2024 Illinois Horse of the Year, Cash Money Twenty looks for back-to-back titles as the 9-5 favorite in the Saturday final. A winner of 11 of 12 races as a 2-year-old, Cash Money Twenty has won eight times from 13 starts in 2025. He’s won his last three starts as regular driver Casey Leonard returns in the bike. His biggest threat could come from Battlin Bob for trainer Robert Walker. A six-time winner on the year, Battlin Bob has finished in the top three in all 13 starts this season. Travis Seekman drives once again.
Race 7 – $142,000 Incredible Tillie Championship
The night’s richest race comes in the Incredible Tillie Championship as nine 2-year-old filly pacers will be looking to upset a likely heavy favorite from the barn of Erv Miller. A winner of seven of eight to open her career, Fox Valley Fastrak is the 2-1 morning-line choice with Marcus Miller in the bike. A brief break in between starts didn’t seem to slow down Fox Valley Fastrak as she won last week’s final leg on the front end. Drawing the inside is Fox Valley Tamara for trainer Tom Simmons. Driven by Brandon Bates, Fox Valley Tamara was a game winner in last week’s final leg, posting a new career mark of 1:56.1.
Race 8 – $138,000 Incredible Finale Championship
The race for the title of top 2-year-old male pacer could likely come down to a trainer with the last name of Miller as well. This time though, it is trainer Kevin Miller as he sends out 10-time winner Fox Valley Onassis. Finding the board in all 14 starts to open his career, Fox Valley Onassis has been a model of consistency. Wyatt Avenatti drives as the speedy pacer draws post 2. The biggest threats to Fox Valley Onassis could come from the pair of Mighty Engine or Dandy’s Beach, winners of last week’s final leg divisions.
Race 9 – $50,000 Plesac Championship
Seven aged male trotters are set to contest the Plesac Championship in a spot where multiple horses are in with a big chance. The heavy favorite is last week’s elimination winner, Lous Lancelot, for driver and trainer James Lackey. A 21-time winner in his career, Lous Lancelot was impressive on the front end last week and could look to control the pace once again. His biggest threat could come from 40-time winner Lousraptor for trainer Jill Brown. A tough trip resulted in a poor finish last week, but the inside draw could be beneficial with Casey Leonard in the bike.
Race 10 – $116,000 Plum Peachy Championship
The second winningest pacer in the country in 2025 headlines the Plum Peachy Championship for 3-year-old fillies as Fox Valley Lava looks for her 18th victory of 2025. Trained by Kevin Miller, Fox Valley Lava enters the Night of Champions final on a four-race win streak, including an impressive score in last week’s final leg. Brandon Bates drives the 2-1 morning-line favorite. Fox Valley Jasmine may pose the biggest threat to Fox Valley Lava but will have to overcome a tough outside post draw. Trained by Erv Miller and driven by Marcus Miller, Fox Valley Jasmine has found the board in all 17 starts on the year, with nine of those coming as victories.
Race 11 – $88,000 Erwin F. Dygert Memorial Championship
Three-year-old male trotters will battle in the Erwin F. Dygert Memorial as it will take a big effort to upset the favorite in here. Drawing post 5 as the 6-5 morning-line choice for trainer Curt Grummel, Sunburnt Silverado enters the final off a strong victory in last week’s final leg. A winner of nine of 14 starts on the year, Sunburnt Silverado will be driven by Kyle Wilfong in the final. Frontier Macho poses the biggest threat to upset the favorite, if he can overcome the nine-hole for driver Casey Leonard and trainer Tom Simmons. A six-time winner in 2025, Frontier Macho was a solid second behind Sunburnt Silverado in last week’s final leg.
Race 12 – $83,000 Beulah Dygert Memorial
The night closes with 3-year-old filly trotters in the Beulah Dygert Memorial with a wide-open field of 10. The 2-year-old Illinois champ in 2024, Lou’s My Number is the 8-5 favorite in this year’s final. Trained by Steve Searle and driven by Casey Leonard, Lou’s My Number got back on track in last week’s final leg, posting a solid victory in career best time. Kays in Charge has won seven times this year for trainer Tom Simmons. She was stuck far outside in the final leg last week and rallied late to finish third. A more favorable post in the final could play to her benefit.
Hawthorne Race Course, Chicago’s Hometown Track, is open daily for full-card simulcasting as well as for sports wagering in the Fanatics Sportsbook. The winter harness season began Nov. 7 and will conclude Feb. 15, 2026. For any information about Hawthorne Race Course, visit www.HawthorneRaceCourse.com.