Stickney, IL — When a horse dominates a division like Whiskey Lou did in the 2023 Illinois Conceived and Foaled trotting filly class when she won 13 of 14 starts, including the Beulah Dygert final on Hawthorne’s Night of Champions, any of their rivals’ accomplishments run the risk of being overlooked.
The Steve Searle stable’s Peekaboo Gal falls into that category.
The now 4-year-old mare raked in almost $72,000 for her owner All-Wright Stable, and most of it came being the bridesmaid in competition against Whiskey Lou.
Peekaboo Sal only went 3-for-19 in her second season of racing. However, besides two thirds, she had eight second-place finishes, and most came against the newest star of the Curt Grummel stable whose lone loss came in the $55,000 Illinois Championship at Springfield last September when she was knocked off stride at the start.
From early August through mid-November, Peekaboo Sal was second best in five of seven starts, including the Dygert championship, and third both times she wasn’t the runner-up.
The daughter of Lou’s Legacy was a $17,000 purchase at the 2021 Illini Classic Sale. Her only 2-year-old win came at the Charleston Fair, but she still managed to earn over $33,000 in her initial season, missing only one check in her nine trips to the starting gate.
On Saturday night (Feb. 1), Peekaboo Sal will open as the 7-5 favorite in a conditioned trot at Hawthorne. She was entered in the Open Trot, which didn’t fill, but the mare was eligible for the third race under the non-winners of five races (ICF six) condition and landed the two-slot in the five-horse field.
Her biggest threat could come from the 11-year-old veteran Double A Goldrush (Casey Leonard). While the Elegant Man gelding spends his summers in Indiana, when he does come to Hawthorne, he usually does very well. Double A Goldrush is closing in on a half-million dollars in lifetime earnings ($496,870) for owners Mihael and Laura Lee and trainer Terry Lee Leonard. The trotter’s next victory would be his 47th.
Looking to pull off an upset are Jammin Jamin (Juan Franco), Peekaboo Sal’s stablemate Lous Amazon (Mike Oosting), and M Maurrone (Robert Smolin).
The Saturday headliner comes in race six, a conditioned pace for non-winners of $5,000 in their last four starts or horses to be claimed for $20,000. Odds On Alpha Male (Brandon Bates) falls into the second condition.
Awaiting the Hector Herrera gelding are Rockin Pulse (Marcus Miller), Ben Racin (Mike Oosting), Tookadiveoffdipper (Casey Leonard), the early 5-2 favorite Melton Beach N (Kyle Wilfong), and Clearchoice De Vie (Wyatt Avenatti).
Tookadiveoffdipper, now an 11-year-old from the barn of trainer Jim Eaton, has banked $706,818, more than his five foes have accomplished combined, and the Always A Virgin offspring has 53 first-place finishes.