Four ICF freshman filly pacing divisions will be contested on Saturday’s (July 20) 15-race program, all early races for youngsters eligible for the Incredible Tillie series. A single division for state-bred juvenile male pacers will go as race two.

Two youngsters—Fox Valley Groupie (Jamaica Patton) and Fox Valley Beth (Casey Leonard)—go post ward for the first time in Saturday’s opener and they drew on opposite ends.

Fox Valley Groupie, trained by Hart Walker, has the rail. A $24,000 buy at the 2022 Walker Standardbred sale, she’s a Somestarsomewhere filly out of the dam Rock With Delight, making her a full sister to last year’s juvenile champ Chickabell.

Fox Valley Beth, from the Tom Simmons stable, starts from the outside seven post.  A $12,000 purchase, she’s by Time To Roll and her dam is Fox Valley Lyn, so she’s a half-sister to the Gary Rath stable’s Fox Valley Ozzy (1:50.3).

Simmons has another Somestarsomewhere filly debuting in race three. She’s Two Bean Dream. The Fox Valley Catwalk filly will get away for driver Kyle Husted from the one-post.

Husted also handles the stable’s Captainess in race four who nailed down her maiden victory last week with a 1:57.4 mile, pacing the last quarter in :27.3. That division also landed the Erv Miller stable’s Fox Valley Jasmine (Travis Seekman). Another daughter of Time To Roll, her dam is Fox Valley Jazzy, the 2017 Incredible Tillie champion back in 2017. Fox Valley Jasmine solid for $25,000.

A solo division of Illinois bred filly sophomore pacers nominated to the Night of Champions series came up strong with two of the best the division—Chickabell (Kyle Husted) and Amy Mooss (Matt Avenatti)—both going to the gate. They’ll be challenged by Fox Valley August, Stevie Mae, Unhynged Zenzero, Fox Valley Tatum, Hermia’s Star and Big Flicka.

Later on the card, the pride of the Terry Leonard barn, Fox Valley Gemini (Casey Leonard) will try to reel in the Amy Husted stable’s David Allan Whoa, something he couldn’t do when they met on July 6.

Fox Valley Gemini will be in search of his 63rd career win. The now 9-year-old gelding, found his best stride in the stretch two weeks ago, motoring home in a quick :26.3, but was beaten by a little more than a length in the 1:53.2 mile.

The solid field of pacers also lured Fox Valley Langley, Skway Gymmaster, Tookadiveoffdipper, Fox Valley Newport, Fox Valley Monaco and Fox Valley Kodiak.

Friday’s Recap: A trio of Illinois bred pacing fillies nominated to the Night of Champions went postward Thursday at Du Quoin. The Tom Simmons Stable’s Fox Valley Vitali was a comfortable three-length for owners Ivan Hawthorne (Winnsboro, LA, D.M. White (Cotton Valley, La) and Benita Simmons, Springfield, IL) winner in 1:55.4 on a track listed “good.”

Casey Leonard steered the daughter of Somestrsomewhere to a two-hole trip and Fox Valey Vitali rolled past the early leaders in the stretch. The Toddfather (Kyle Husted) was clearly second best in the first division.

Travis Seekman sent Battlin Bob to the front in the second division where the son of Somestarsomewhere was able to go to a soft 1:01.2 at the half in his debut and easily held off the second-place finisher Unhynged Impulso with a 1:57.1 final time.

Hart Walker of Carrollton, Illinois trains the winning home bred out of the stable’s champion mare Bucklegirl Bobette.

Driver Wyatt Avenatti had PD’S Diamond Hope on or close to the front throughout the third filly division before the Kevin Miller trained Fort Knox gelding pulled way in the late going of a 1:56 flat mile.

Markota (p.p. 8, Juan Franco) came from far back to grab second, beaten more than 4 lengths,

The Erv Miller stable’s first-time starter Dandy’s Princess Travis Seekman led from start to finish in the lone 2-year-old filly trot for NOC eligibles with a 2:03 flat clocking. The late closing Kays In Charge (Casey Leonard) was the runner-up to the New Jersey Viking bred winner.

Illinois 3-year-old male trotters nominated to the Erwin F. Dygert Memorial NOC series were next with last year’s champion Lous Private (Casey Leonard) coasting to his fifth consecutive victory of 2024 by more than 13 lengths, this one in 1:59.3 for the Lou’s Legacy progeny, owned and bred by Flacco Family Farms of Alexis, Illinois and trained by Steve Searle.

The second division was a lot more interesting as Juan Franco drove Lous Mandalorian to a perfect two-hole winning trip for trainer Roshun Trigg by about two lengths in 1:59.3 over the front-stepping Tru Cash (Leonard)

It gave Flacco Family Farms and their star stallion Lou’s Legacy back-to-back division winners.

The lone sophomore trot for Beulah Dygert Memorial eligible fillies saw Randy Witt’s Whiskey Lou (Casey Leonard) breeze to a front-end triumph. The Curt Grummel trained defending reigning champion in 1:58.3, the Lou’s Legacy gal’s sixth straight victory.