Today, the three-year-old Illinois-breds took the spotlight at Arlington Park, with the Purple Violet Stakes and the Springfield Stakes.

In the fillies’ division, it was a familiar face: Babybluesbdancing, the runaway top two-year-old in the state last year, won the Purple Violet in a runaway.  Among open company, it was a horse testing his mettle in stakes company for the first time: Smoke ‘N’ Gloat, despite pace pressure, held a heavy favourite at bay.

Head over to Picks and Ponderings, and take a look back at the top three-year-olds in Illinois!