Hinsdale, IL – Not many horses have had the kind of roller coaster season that the homebred pacer Key Ingrediant put together for the Terry Leonard stable.

The now 5-year-old Illinois bred pacer started 2023 with 15 consecutive losses and then turned things around in his last eight outings, winning five of them at Hawthorne including his last three in a row for owner and breeder Donald Laufenberg of Highland, WI.

What was the reason, or reasons, for Key Ingrediant’s huge reversal of success on the racetrack?

We asked his driver Casey Leonard, who also routinely works out the horse at his father’s farm in Harvard, Illinois, his thoughts on Key Ingrediant’s turnabout.

“It’s more than one thing,” Casey replied. “A major reason is the conditions he’s been racing in. His only win in 2022 came at Springfield and they don’t have an extended meeting, so the horse was eligible for several low-end condition races when Hawthorne opened. It’s also the reason horses like (Fox Valley) Cayman and Corso were able to do well at the Hawthorne. They were still eligible for the right condition races.

“Also, once Key Ingrediant started winning, his confidence level when up. He got braver. You can see it in his recent races. We also learned that he’s best when taken back and then makes one big move in the stretch.”

Key Ingrediant races Sunday night (Feb. 4) in Hawthorne’s ninth race where he’ll open as the modest 7-2 favorite from the seven-post in a nine-horse event. One of his main threats is Farmer’s Only, another Leonard stable trainee. Casey has his choice of drives and took Key Ingrediant while Kyle Wilfong will catch-drive Farmer’s Only away from the three-slot.

Fox Valley Cayman (Casey Leonard) was one of the horses that benefitted from Springfield not being an extended pari-mutuel meeting. Patricia Fryman Photography.

Casey was spot-on concerning the Illinois breds Fox Valley Cayman and Fox Valley Corso’s 2023 racing seasons in Illinois.

Fox Valley Cayman showed ability as a 2-year-old banking over $35,000 and winning four races. Only his triumph in a division of the Cardinal mattered as far as eligibility for Hawthorne’s condition races. His other three wins at Springfield were discounted.

In his second season, “Cayman” was second in his Cardinal split at Springfield and runner-up in his Dudley division at Du Quoin for trainer Tomu Simmons. His first pari-mutuel victory in 2023 came at Hawthorne in a non-winner of two contest after a third-place finish in Hawthorne’s $105,000 Robert F. Carey Memorial stake.

The horse was still eligible for non-winners of three and won at that class a few weeks later. That confidence building victory helped propel the $20,000 yearling purchase to a pair of first-place finishes, three seconds, and a third in his next six starts against higher level condition races against open company.

Simmons also took over the training duties on Fox Valley Corso after his conditioner Herman Wheeler returned to his home in Louisiana after Hawthorne’s Night of Champions. The horse had gone winless in 13 tries as a freshman.

Fox Valley Corso’s sophomore season began with his maiden victory at Du Quoin with Casey driving. Seven straight loses later he won a non-winner of two condition pace with Bobby Smolin. After nine more losses in a row, the last four competing for Simmons, the trotter had success in another non-winners of two event with Casey in the bike.

Fox Valley Corso finished last year with three consecutive wins, all with Casey, each in non-winners of three races and made almost $38,000 for the year.

Both Fox Valley Cayman and Fox Valley Corso will race on Monday’s (Feb. 5) Hawthorne card.

A No-Go: Insufficient entries are the reason why the Open Pace contests for both the males and females are not on Sunday’s Hawthorne program.

Only three mares, Double Parked, Marvelous Maricia and She’s Magical were entered for the distaff Open. The Open for horses and geldings saw He’zzz A Wise Sky enter, along with four pacers each from Perry Smith’s stable—Round Here Buzz, Town Gossip, Playmerock and Mustang Beach.