Local Horses Continue To Do Well Across State

Harness horses with local and area connections have continued to do well across the state in recent days, led by a pair of stakes wins last weekend at Hawthorne Racecourse near Chicago. 

Fox Valley Exploit, a three-year-old pacing filly from the barn of owner-trainer-driver Kyle Husted of Altamont, won a leg of the Plum Peachy Series last Saturday night in 1:55. Co-owned by David Brigham of Concord, Michigan, Fox Valley Exploit has notched $100,000 in career earnings, after being purchased by Husted for $22,000 as a yearling. 

Also reaching the winner's circle at Hawthorne was Desert Sheik, who won a leg of Sunday's Erwin Dygert series for three-year-old trotters in 1:59 for co-owner Dean Biggs of Altamont. Trained by co-owner Mike Brink, Desert Sheik has won $66,000 in his lifetime, after being purchased as a yearling by Biggs for $12,000. Mark Brown of Chatham also owns an interest in the horse. 

Easy E O, owned by Chuck Doehring of Brownstown and trained by Charleston's Jill Brown, finished third behind Desert Sheik. 

On Tuesday at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, BBR Lady upped her record to three wins in as many starts, capturing the Illinois Fair Stakes two-year-old filly trot for owners Elizabeth Roedl of Edgewood and Freddie Patton Jr. of Clinton, Mississippi. BBR Lady led all the way and won by four lengths. 

In the following race, Emsroscopcoletrain took runner-up honors in a division of the two-year-old colt and gelding trot for owner Jacob Roedl of Edgewood. 

Other horses recording top-three finishes included Clearly The Bomb, who was third in the two-year-old filly pace for owner-trainer-driver Angie Coleman, formerly of Altamont, and TE's Smoothas Silk, who finished third in the sophomore filly pace for owner T.E. Harre Jr., formerly of Brownstown.