Hinsdale, IL — The idiomatic phase “the best-laid plans often go awry” held true last year concerning one highly regarded state-bred youngster for Illinois horseman Jamaica Patton, then again, the season played out almost perfectly for another who showed early potential in his barn.

The Somestarsomewhere offspring Fox Valley Langley came into last season as the ICF 2-year-old colt and gelding division champion, and Jamaica had high hopes for another very successful campaign. However, the talented horse made only three starts in 2023.

“He broke a coffin bone earlier and never fully recovered last year from it,” said his trainer. “He’s fully healed now, and I jogged him last Thursday five or six miles.”

To say Jamaica is “high” on Fox Valley Langley would be an understatement.

“If I ever have a 1:48 pacer, he would be the one,” said an excited Jamaica.

The one bright spot for Fox Valley Langley last year came in an Incredible Finale stake series event when he became the only Illinois bred sophomore to beat the eventual division champion Fox Valley Landen.

Hypeyourbestieup concluded her freshman season with a win in a division of the ICF Violet filly stake. Four Footed Fotos.

On the other hand, Jamaica mapped out his freshman filly Hypeyourbestieup’s first season to a “T.” He brought her along slowly. She made less than $10,000 in her initial six outings, starting in early June, and raced her for small purses at Springfield, Du Quoin and the Lewiston County Fair track.

Jamaica was pointing Hypeyourbestieup for the Illinois State Fair stakes and Hawthorne’s Incredible Tillie championship series and when those major state-bred events rolled around, the Somestarsomewhere offspring out of the broodmare Foolishlittlegirl was more than ready to take on the crème de crème in her freshman division.

After a third-place finish in her $16,666 division of Du Quoin’s Lt Governor stake, Kyle Wilfong took over her lines and steered her to an easy 2-3/4 length triumph in a split of the Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes at Hawthorne after the contest was rained out a month earlier at Springfield.

Next up was a $25,000 leg of Hawthorne’s Incredible Tillie. Jamaica had her ready for the third Incredible Tillie stake contest, this time with Travis Seekman in the bike, the filly’s fifth different driver in eight career starts. Seekman took advantage of the pole position, sending the filly right to the top where she held off the 3-5 favorite Fox Valley Sadie by a neck in 1:55.2.

Hypeyourbestieup was second best in the $187,000 Incredible Tillie final on the Night of Champions to Chickabell who had almost a seven-length lead on Patton’s filly at the half and won it by 2-1/2 lengths.

Hypeyourbesttieup got some revenge on her rival in a $26,550 division of the Violet, their final matchup of the season, by grabbing an early lead and parking out Chickabell through a 1:54.2 mile.

Jamaica thought early last spring that Hypeyourbestieup could be one of the best fillies in her division and she proved the 43-year-old Mississippi native, who began driving horses as a 17-year-old in 1997, was indeed spot-on.

“She’s coming along fine. She’s been trained down to under 2:10. I’m not rushing her. All her biggest races come later in the year, so I’m taking my time with her,” added Jamaica who shares ownership of Hypeyourbestieup with fellow Mississippian Cedric Daniels.

Hypeyourbestieup sold for $11,500 to the Mississippi tandem at the 2022 Walker Standardbred Sale under the name of Fox Valley Juniper.