Hinsdale, IL — Sometimes you see a horse in a race where he or she was never expected to compete. That’s the case Saturday (Oct. 21) night at Hawthorne with the Husted stable’s well-regarded state-bred freshman filly pacer Fox Valley Sadie.

Fox Valley Sadie (Kyle Husted) looks to rebound tonight after her unfortunate outing in the Incredible Tillie championship. Four Footed Fotos Photo.

Tonight’s second race is a $12,500 event limited to ICF two-year-old fillies that were eligible for the Night of Champions series that did not finish one through five in the championship or 1 through 3 in its consolation.

Fox Valley Sadie, a full sister to the Husted stable’s pacing queen Fox Valley Exploit, brought a flashy first season record into last Saturday’s $187,000 Incredible Tillie final of three victories in a row, including a division of her Lt Governor stake at Du Quoin and a Illinois State Fair Colt Stake split, and a narrow nose defeat in the last leg of the NOC series.

Fox Valley Sadie was the co-favorite going into championship and got off to a quick start in the race, vying for the lead into fist turn when disaster struck for her many supporters . . . she went off stride and ended a far back seventh in the contest.

Since she didn’t compete in the series consolation, Fox Valley Sadie is eligible to perform tonight where she’ll be a prohibitive favorite.

The obvious question was: “Why did she make a break?”

“She hit the cart with her right back hind leg, the one she had surgery on,” said her driver, Kyle Husted. “I’ve taken it easy on her because of the off-season surgery. That’s why she had such few starts (5) going into the championship.”

It wasn’t all bad news for Kyle and his wife Amy, the barn’s trainer on Championship Night. Fox Valley Sadie’s stablemate Chickabell, nicely handled by Todd Warren, won the Incredible Tillie final in comfortable fashion and their filly Fox Valley Gina rallied for third, and earlier on the card the stable’s three-year-old gelding Fox Valley Landen had no trouble disposing of his nine rivals in the $105,000 Robert F. Carey Jr with a 1:51.4 clocking.

“Both Fox Valley Sadie and Chickabell are nice young fillies,” continued the 32-year-old Altamont, Illinois native. “I decided to drive Sadie because of my concern about her surgical hind leg.”

The Time To Roll filly, at even-money in your author’s morning line, leaves from the six-slot in a seven horse field tonight with Sour Grapes, Amy Mooss, Revenge Rosie, Dandy’s Ms Swifty and Fox Valley Reeve inside of her and Feisty Val to right.

A couple of races later is another $12,500 Incredible Tillie consolation event with the Mike Brick stable’s Stevie Mae the filly to beat. She’ll open at even-money. Her competition consists of Unhynged Zenzero, Karatop Moose, Cupid’s Revenge, Platinum Shark, RK’S Toni and Adalecia.

Those who disappointed in the Fox Valley Flan juvenile filly trot championship get their chance to snare the $6,250 winner’s share of the seventh race.

Illini Diva (Cordarius Stewart) one of the favorites in the Fox Valley Flan final where she also went off stride, should get most of the public’s support with the rail and a mark of 1:57.4, taken in a series leg last month. It’s almost a full second better than any other filly that has trotted in the nine-horse field.

Trained by Kevin Miller, the daughter of Lou’s Legacy, battles on Illini Isabella, Ally Baba, Fox Valley Nautica, Shady Maple Alstar, Deenbo, D’Louigi, Moppies Mooss and Dashing Durango.