I am proud to have cast a ballot in the Illinois Champions vote for the second year in a row.

The Pizza Man took many of the headlines, and for good reason.  Not only was he the best Illinois-bred horse in 2015, but he was one of the best turf horses in the country.

However, Illinois racing did not begin and end with The Pizza Man last year.  We had solid Illinois-bred horses in many divisions last year, and this was a time to reflect upon and celebrate that.

Over at Picks and Ponderings, both Paul Mazur and I dissected our ballots: who we voted for, and why.  For anyone curious to see the ballot — which includes a full list of Illinois-breds who either won stakes races or placed in stakes worth $50,000 or more — the ballot I cast is below.  Feel free to ask me any questions about why I sent a certain way either in the comments here, the comments at P&P, or on Twitter!