by Kimberly A. Rinker, for Balmoral Park

Crete, IL — When Bobby B Breeze captured his $15,000 Su Mac Lad elimination at Balmoral Park last week, trotting easily to a career best 1:57 triumph for driver Todd Warren, it came as no surprise to his trainer, Roger Welch.

“Herman Wheeler had him last year and I’d see him on the track every day and I fell in love with him,” Welch said. “I ended up buying him and he won his first start for us. He got sick at Springfield and we fought health issues with him the rest of the year. I could never get him healthy enough.”

Balmoral Park photo

Bobby B Breeze has finished off the board only twice all year and missed only one purse check in 14 starts.

The son of Southwind Breeze earned $44,051 at two, with two wins and two seconds in nine starts. He captured the $50,000 Plesac stake in his first start for Welch, trotting in 1:59.1 and besting his rivals by 6-3/4 lengths. He followed that up with a victory at Springfield in an $8,000 State Fair elim, clocked in 1:59 on Aug. 9, 2013.

“He was a ridgling and at the end of the season we gelded him and that helped him a lot,” Welch said. “He had one testicle that was really big and it would pinch him in the turns. So after taking care of that and getting him healthy, he’s come back a lot stronger this year.”

Bobby B Breeze has finished off the board only twice all year and missed only one purse check in 14 starts, with statistics of 2-4-6 and $35,712 in seasonal earnings. He is owned by Bo Delong, Pat Delong, Gordon Wright and Welch.

“He doesn’t like a lot of training, and it’s been work trying to peak him at the right time,” Welch offered. “But he is fresh and sound and gives 100 percent, and is the nicest mannered horse.”

On Aug. 27, the gregarious gelding scored in a Balmoral overnight, cruising to a 1:57.2 triumph just a week prior to his Su Mac Lad elim victory.

“I said at the beginning of the year that we may race all season and never win a race and still make $50,000, because I knew he’d be chasing Fox Valley Veto and Tour Hall,” Welch noted.

Bred by Fair Meadow Farm, Welch’s trotter is the fifth foal out of the Lindy Lane mare Lindy’s Fireball 3,1:56f ($89,617), and is a half-brother to the Windsong’s Legacy gelding Fire And Wind p,3,1:58.2f ($8,698).

Bobby B Breeze will be going up against Fox Valley Veto in the $100,000 Su Mac Lac Final on Saturday night, who opted for a bye in last week’s elim. The winner of $164,574 in his career has been a whirlwind in Illinois this season, earning $100,058 from six wins and four seconds in 11 starts. His only off-the-board effort came in mid-May in his first start when he made an uncharacteristic break to finish fourth. Otherwise, the son of Pizzazzed’s 2014 record is nearly unblemished.

Among Fox Valley Veto’s top efforts were his five consecutive victories beginning June 25 through his win at Springfield on Aug. 14 in 1:56. During his streak he captured the $41,000 Kadabra Stake on July 26 at Balmoral in 1:55.3 and the $25,000 Mikes A Mystery Stake on Aug. 3 in 1:55.1 at the Crete one-miler.

Trained and co-owned by Curt Grummel, Fox Valley Veto bested a field of older horses last Sunday, clocked in 1:55.4 for driver John DeLong in a $10,500 Balmoral overnight. Craig Grummel co-owns the gelding, who was bred by Fox Valley Standardbreds.

This 3-year-old trotting whiz is the third foal out of the Valley Victory mare Yankee Victory OM 3,1:58.1 ($19,915), and is a full sister to the 2-year-old filly Fox Valley Yoko 1:59 ($55,375). He also has half-siblings in Overandovervictory (by Andover Hall) 5, 1:53.4f ($257,219); and Fox Valley Yavonne (by Vaporize) 4,1:56.3 ($37,562).

Tour Hall, a sophomore son of American Native who captured an Illinois State Fair Colt Stake at 2 in 1:57.3 and a $25,900 Hanover Stake this season, has earned $130,301 in his career for trainer Mike Brink, who co-owns the gelding with Loren Tournear.

“He raced well coming from off the pace last week,” said his driver Dave Magee, on the gelding’s sixth-place finish in his Su Mac Lad elim. “He seems to be coming back to himself (with that :28.2 last quarter) and just needs a flat mile to be competitive.”