Hinsdale, IL – A little more than a month into Hawthorne’s 2023 harness racing meeting and the last of the ICF stake events has already arrived.

Gorgeous Big Guy (Todd Warren) eyes his fifth consecutive victory Friday in a $25,825 Cardinal stake division. Four Footed Fotos.

Friday (Oct. 27) it’s the 2-year-old state bred Cardinal added money events for both pacers and trotters. Saturday evening the spotlight turns to the freshman gals for the Violet stakes.

A $400 entry fee was needed to start a horse in these Illinois Department of Agriculture events.

Friday’s Cardinal contests will have an impact when the balloting time comes around for juvenile division awards.

A victory tonight in the fourth race first $25,825 division for Gorgeous Big Guy would likely sew up the son of Ashlee’s Big Guy bid for the top ICF male pacing spot. The gelding posts a flashy record of six wins and four seconds in 10 trips postward and he is undefeated in Illinois against his division foes.

Gorgeous Big Guy started his first season racing out of the barn of Tim Roach on the Michigan fair circuit winning once with a quartet of runner-up finishes. He burst on the prairie state scene with a victory in his Director Cup division at Du Quoin in 1:52.4 despite being parked out much of the race.

The youngster’s next start came in a $21,000 division of the Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes held at Hawthorne on Sept. 10 where he proved best again. He was sold that same day to Floridian Doug Overhiser and Mark Winship of Morris, Illinois, joining the Midwest division of the Erv Miller stable.

Todd Warren proceeded to take over the driving chores on Gorgeous Big Guy for the Incredible Finale series and its championship where the freshman continued to show his heels to the opposition, extending his winning streak to five in a row and his purse earnings to just a shade under $143,000.

Awaiting Gorgeous Big Guy is Fox Valley Julian with the pole position, giving driver Casey Leonard a good opportunity to have the Somestarsomewhere in good position to have success.

The Mike Brink trained Fox Valley Julian has been second best to Gorgeous Big Guy in their last three races. The James Happ owned freshman won his $21,000 ISFCS division last month in 1:52.1, the same season mark as Gorgeous Big Guy.

The other Cardinal first division aspirants are Fox Valley York (Brandon Bates), R Tyler Towne (Robert Smolin), Super Shark (Juan Franco), Hezarengade (Phil Knox), Enrico Pallazzo (Travis Seekman) and Gotta Go Gram (Matt Avenatti).

Two races later is another Cardinal Pace split where the two pre-race favorites Guitar Man (Travis Seekman) and Fox Valley Durham (Cordarius Stewart) landed the outside posts, the seven and eight, in that order.

After back-to-back triumphs in the Illinois state fair stake races, Guitar Man wasn’t himself in his first two October with a third-place finish and a disappointing seventh in the Incredible Finale final. However, the Rob Rittof trained youngster bounced back nicely with an easy triumph last week, coming home in :26.3 at the end of a 1:54.2 mile. Earlier Guitar Man sped to a 1:51.3 clocking in his Du Quoin stakes win.

Fox Valley Durham (Cordarius Stewart) boasts five victories and a trio of thirds in his nine first season outings and a mark of 1:52.2 for the Midwest division of the Erv Miller stable.

They’ll be tested, from the one post out, by JR Strike Three (Brandon Bates), Ashleecoldmuffler (Juan Franco), Fox Valley Kodiak (Wyatt Avenatti), Doctor Cruise (Kyle Husted), Redhot Sky (Todd Warren) and You Can Never Tell (Casey Leonard).

The Cardinal trot showdown will go as race five on one division with a $47,950 purse on the line. Lous Private Eye (Casey Leonard), from the barn of trainer Steve Searle, is fresh off his $121,000 Kadabra championship conquest and should get plenty of the public’s support.

With Lous Private Eye receiving the seven-slot in a 10-horse field, look for Tru Cash (post one, Cordarius Stewart) and Shady Maple Alstar (post three, Todd Warren) to also receive good play.

The Erv Miller stable freshman Tru Cash was hurt by the nine-hole in the Kadabra final when he finished fourth. Shady Maple Alstar looked strong winning last week with a :28.3 last panel in 1:59.2 for his new driver in the trotter’s second start on Lasix. The Herman Wheeler trainee went off stride in the Kadaba, his initial outing on the bleeder medication.