by Joshua Potts, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Springfield, IL — The 2008 stakes season is underway at Balmoral Park and the trotter Halls Of Gold has already made a big splash — literally.

Back on April 8, in the Speedy Rodney Stake for ICF 3-year-old colts and geldings, Halls Of Gold and driver Brandon Simpson made every call a winning one over the sloppy mile oval in Chicago’s south suburbs. Finishing the mile in 2:00, the sophomore left the rest of the field far behind, besting second-place finisher Maxter, the 9-10 chalk, by seven lengths.

Trainer Dirk Simpson, Brandon’s father, was very pleased with the effort.

Balmoral Park photo

Halls Of Gold was a 2:00 winner for Brandon Simpson in the Speedy Rodney Stake.

“Brandon did a good job driving him,” said the proud dad/trainer. “He made a move with him and had a big headwind down the stretch.

“(Halls Of Gold) had raced more than the others (in the Speedy Rodney), so he was a little sharper, a little tighter. But Sunday (in the $15,000 Iggy Magoo at Balmoral) will be a challenge.”

Halls Of Gold is an Illinois-bred 3-year-old gelding by Band’s Gold Chip, out of the Victory Dream mare Royal Hall. In his career, Halls Of Gold has a record of 25-11-5-0, good for $31,280 in the bank. His lifetime mark of 1:59 was taken on January 13 in a 12-1/4 length drubbing over the good going at Balmoral.

The trotter is owned by Tina and Patrick Graham of Pittsfield, Ill. The Grahams also own another talented sophomore by Band’s Gold Chip, the filly Spread The Chips. In her most recent triumph, Brandon Simpson piloted her to a 5-1/4 length score in the Trotting Tilly Stake at Balmoral on April 9.

In Halls Of Gold’s 25 career races, he has raced out of the barn of four different trainers: Jerry Mims, Jamaica Patton, Tom Grummel, and Dirk Simpson. Simpson explained how the sophomore ended up in his barn.

“Tom Grummel purchased him last year (and later sold him to the Grahams). His fair track got bad this year because of the weather, so he sent him to us at Balmoral. I’m just helping Tom out. They’re great people.”

Despite two nice scores over off tracks in 2008, Simpson downplays any talk about his charge being a “mudder.” As a result, we need not anticipate a rain dance Sunday night in the Simpson barn. But he still feels good about Halls Of Gold’s progression.

“He came out of his last race sharp. There should be improvement,” he said.

The $15,000 Iggy Magoo Stake will be the third contest on Balmoral’s card Sunday night, April 20. Halls Of Gold will start from the six hole.

Also, it should be noted that trainer Roger Welch will be sending four trotters postward in the night’s featured event: Our Priority, Mood Man, Spirit Lifter, and the 2007 Illinois-bred freshman trotting champion, Maxter.

Will Halls Of Gold be up to the challenge in the Iggy Magoo? Will one of the Welch quartet bring home the victory? Or, will one of the other four sophomores be victorious. We find out on Sunday night, April 20, at Balmoral Park.