by Mike Paradise, for the IHHA

Hinsdale, IL — With back-to-back Saturday night handles of over $1 million in the bank it’s a good bet that Saturday night’s (July 31) Chicago Southland Festival of Racing at Balmoral Park will also see another seven figure handle deposited though the track’s mutuel windows.

We’re in the middle of the summer stakes season and that’s what high-quality racing cards with first-rate purses for good quality horses do — produce excellent handles. And Saturday’s “Festival” is loaded with plenty of good Illinois bred horses.

With last season’s Illinois 2-year-old Colt Pacer of the Year Power Of A Moment suffering four consecutive losses — including the last two to fellow state-bred pacer Voomerang — after his victory in early June in Balmoral’s Cardinal, the 3-year-old Prairie State glamour division for 3-year-old males now looks a heck of a lot more competitive than it did a month and a half ago.

Balmoral Park photo

Voomerang (Mike Oosting) goes for his third in a row in Saturday’s Incredible Finale Final.

The Roger Welch Stable’s Voomerang dropped his first nine starts this year after a freshman season that saw him win in 1:52.1 in his very first career start en route to earning over $81,000 for owners Beau and Pat De Long.

“If you told me Voomerang would be winless by the first of July I would have laughed at you,” said Roger Welch. “Going into the Hanover the horse paced some big last quarters and some big last halves and hadn’t gotten there yet. He had no racing luck and it was poor draw after poor draw.

“The draw changed the last two weeks and I’m sure so has Voomerang’s confidence level after he beat Power Of A Moment the last couple of Saturdays.”

“Voomerang is for real,” said his driver Mike Oosting. “He’s been very good in his last two starts.”

Voomerang (7-2) has the seven slot Saturday, while the 3-1 morning line favorite Power Of A Moment is inside with the three. However stablemate Iam Bonasera landed the outside 10 slot and will open at 4-1 odds.

Oosting will guide two other Welch trained horses with big shots Saturday — Little Maeve at 3-1 in the $63,500 Loyal Opposition showdown and He’s So Hot at 8-5 in the Mini Me Final.

“Little Maeve is a pretty nice filly who is mature for her age,” said Oosting. “She has a good way of going and doesn’t seem to get tired. She’s handy and can get it done either way.”

Oosting likes what he’s seen so far from He’s So Hot.

“He has an excellent way of going and He’s So Hot has a great attitude,” added Oosting. “The horse has very good tactical speed. You can get where you want to be with him any time you want to do it and that’s a big plus in a race.”

Oosting has drives in the three other state-bred stakes on the Saturday card. He owns and trains Bonn Scott in the seventh race $46,500 Big Tom stake for older horses and geldings. He’ll be at the lines of the Erv Miller stable’s Rolldownthehiway in the $56,000 Ann Vonian when she races uncoupled from the Miller-trained entry of 8-5 favorites Cotton Candy (Dave Magee) and Mystical Victress (Marcus Miller). He also has his veteran mare Bobs Minute Maid in the $50,000 Parklane Powerful for fillies and mares ages three and up.