by Timothy M. Jones, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Decatur, IL — Stakes and track records are meant to be broken, and Sunday was the afternoon for it in Downstate Classic action at the Decatur Macon County Fair in Decatur, Ill. Seven contests were carded for 3-year-olds, with the Byer Memorial-Pride of the Prairie Pace for 4-year-olds and up as the finale.

Incredible Filly scored in 1:58.1 in the Downstate Classic 3-year-old filly pace.

Incredible Filly and driver Ronnie Gillespie began the assault on the record books in the lone division for filly pacers. First off the gate and then first under the wire with hardly a challenge in between, the Sagebrush-Incredible Angel-Incredible Finale miss was 14 lengths the best, timed in 1:58.1. Hopenpromises (Kyle Husted) was second, while Nice Party (Mike Cox) finished third.

The John Fletcher trainee shaved three-fifths from the previous stakes mark held by Fridaythethirteenth and four-fifths from the track record established by Arizona Sunset in 2007. She is owned by Stevanna Turner of Argenta, Ill.

Another Fletcher trainee smashed the track, and perhaps all-time Illinois county fair record, in the Byer Memorial-Pride of the Prairie Pace.

NJ’s Big Deal (Ronnie Gillespie) burned the fair’s half-mile oval in a sizzling 1:55.1 mile under breezy conditions. The Sagebrush stallion was 16 lengths better than Fox Valley Barbosa (Mike Cox) and Heartland Liberty (Nick Prather) who dead-heated for second.

Timothy M. Jones photos

NJ’s Big Deal won the Byer Memorial-Pride of the Prairie Pace in a sizzling 1:55.1.

NJ’s Big Deal, also the winner of the 2012 $100,000 Maywood Pace, is owned by Stevanna Turner.

Divination, driven by Nick Prather, retained her Downstate Classic title posted as a 2-year-old in the first division for filly trotters. The Southwind Breeze sired lass was a gate-to-wire winner in 2:03.1, which was one-fifth of a second better than second division winner High Stepper (JD Finn).

Divination, also trained by Prather, is owned by Derek Jacobus and Kevin Kline.

Racing on the front end seemed to be the winning method Sunday as Gonnagetya and driver Freddie Patton, Jr. was another gate-to-wire winner. The Southwind Breeze-Donna’s Image-CR Commando colt was pressured early in the mile by Mack’s Gold Band (Dirk Simpson), along with And That’s A Winner (Mike Brink), but turned away those foes nearing the half. He was then never seriously challenged again.

The first division’s winning mile of 2:03.2 was nearly three seconds better than second division winner Riet’s Kid (Paul Cavet). It was also the Manuel Wilson trained and owned colt’s first start of 2013.

Mr Three Quarters, reined by Antonio Love, was another — what else — wire-to-wire winner in the first division of colt pacers. He stopped the timer’s watches in 1:59.1 to best second division winner Mystical Walter’s (Lewayne Miller) 2:00.1 timed mile.

Mr Three Quarters is a colt by Tattler’s Torpedo from the mare Andria Doria-Cole Muffler, owned by Terry Wilson. The Downstate Classic victory was his first win over six starts.