Hinsdale, IL — There’s a new reining champion in Hawthorne’s Open trotting ranks with fresh legs and an impressive local debut on his résumé. We’re talking about Bluebird Deacon from the Midwest division of the Erv Miller stable.

The now 7-year-old gelding looks to make it make-to-back triumphs in Hawthorne’s $11,100 Open Trot Monday night (Jan. 22) and his regular driver Atlee Bender is coming to town to handle the Swan For All gelding,

Bluebird Deacon is owned by Atlee’s wife Hannah and has been a solid money-maker from the get-go for the Noblesville, Ind. couple since he was acquired in October 2021.

Two weeks ago, Bluebird Deacon uncorked a quick :26.2 last quarter on a chilly winter night to prevail in his initial start of the Hawthorne meeting with a 1:56.1 clocking with Kyle Wilfong at his lines.

Atlee likes what he saw from Bluebird Deacon in his Jan. 8 win and has no problem with the trotter landing Monday night’s outside five post.

“I like the way the draw came out,” said the 31-year-old Bender. “I think Bluebird Deacon is best when he comes from out of it. You can leave with him but then he doesn’t seem to have the same big late move that he has when you take him back at the start and race him reserved.”

Bluebird Deacon’s win came in his second start back after missing almost two months of racing.

“He was sick earlier and even was bleeding through his Lasix. He needed some time off to get back healthy, so we stopped with him for seven weeks. He’s fresh and healthy now.”

Posts were drawn up by groups with the Steve Searle stable’s Lousdobb (Travis Seekman) getting the one and stablemate Loulita (Mike Oostng) the two. Double A Goldfish (Casey Leonard) from the barn of Terry Leonard was assigned the three.

The Jim Eaton trained Perlucky, a multiple-winner of Hawthorne Open trots will likely be sprinting out from the four with driver Brandon Bates. The 9-year-old gelding was parked out through the entire :28 first quarter a couple of weeks ago to make the top and faded to sixth in the late going.

Double A Goldrush had plenty of trot in the final panel (:27) and was second best to Bluebird Deacon, beaten less than one length.

Bluebird Deacon was originally a $72,000 purchase as a yearling when he joined the Jay Cross stable. Unraced as a 2-year-old, at 3 he put together a very successful campaign, hauling in over $120,000 in purse earnings with $62,500 of that amount coming with a second-place finish in the $270,000 Indiana Sire Stake Super Final at Hoosier Park.

In 2021 as a 4-year-old, the trotter made 22 starts for Cross, making nearly $50,000, before going into a sale in October.

“When we learned he was going into the sale, Hannah and I were interested in buying him and having a horse of our own to race,” said Atlee. “We went to the sale and made the purchase.”

Bluebird Deacon won his debut for his new stable in a conditioned event at Oak Grove and two starts later took a $21,000 Open at the Kentucky venue, beating the likes of Illinois champion Annas Lucky Star.

In his first full year for the Miller stable, Bluebird Deacon put another $43,660 on his card, spending the first half of the year on the east coast, predominantly at Yonkers and Pocono, where he was driven by Hannah’s brother Marcus.

The horse made two stops that year at Hawthorne and had a second and third in high-level conditioned races before heading to Indiana where he competed mostly in Opens, winning one and finishing second in another.

Bluebird Deacon’s 2023 mark of 1:53.3 came in September when he nosed-out his highly regarded stablemate Ponda Adventure for Atlee with a :26.4 final panel.