For my latest for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, I sat down to talk with trainer-breeder Brian Judy, whose Frontier Elsa has been rounding into beautiful form at Hawthorne this summer.  We talked about how he and his father got into the game, about his stable of homebreds,a nd about his training at his family’s farm downstate.

In the eighth race at Hawthorne on May 10, Allaboutme Hanover drove clear to win by two and a half lengths.  It was his first win of the year, and his third since entering the care of owner Laurie Price-Chapman and her late father Duncan Price.  

When they first got Allaboutme Hanover, there was no guarantee he would ever race again.  Hopes had been high early for the son of Somebeachsomewhere, as he sold for $95,000 as a yearling.  He began his career on the east coast, racing mainly at the Meadowlands, Pocono, and Yonkers at ages two and three.  But then, Allaboutme Hanover suffered a broken coffin bone. It was during that recovery that Duncan Price purchased him, and he and his daughter took over his care and rehabilitation.  Even as they scaled down their string of horses after the closure of Maywood and Balmoral, they kept the big bay gelding in training.

Read on at the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association!

For my latest piece for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, I headed out to Hawthorne on a day with no racing…and yet, it was still a day with plenty of horses, and plenty of action.  Relive my morning right here.

This summer, I’m back to writing about harness racing at Hawthorne!  And, in my first article of the summer meet, I talk to trainer Amanda Mills about her career in harness racing, and about a big, stunning grey in her barn, Silver Romeo.

The harness racing meet at Hawthorne has drawn to a close.  I’ll be back writing for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association come the summer meet, but before we move on to thoroughbreds at 35th and Cicero, let’s visit my last pair of pieces from the winter meet.

For both, I talked to drivers, but they run the gamut of experience.

Issac Love is still a provisional driver — but he made the most of his drives at Hawthorne this winter, particularly with younger horses.

Ryan Anderson just crossed the 3,000-win threshold — he talks about his lifetime in the sport, and the most memorable horses along the way.

Thanks for reading all winter long, and I’m looking forward to returning to harness racing this summer!

If you’re a new follower of the Chicago harness racing circuit, one of the first things you learn is that driver Casey Leonard wins a lot of races.  A perennial driving champion in Illinois, he enters the second-to-last week of the Hawthorne meet with 28 wins, the most of any driver.  Even as he reigns as the top driver in the state, he still remains connected to his original interest in the world of harness racing: training horses.

Read on, and learn about top driver Casey Leonard’s connection to training horses, in my latest article for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association!

In Saturday night’s second race at Hawthorne, few people expected five-year-old mare Sweetshadyshark to make an impact: she went off the longest shot in the eight-horse field, at 28/1.  Sitting last through the early stages of the race, she picked off horses while wide through the far turn, and found another gear in the stretch run.

As Sweetshadyshark kicked away in the final furlong, powering to a two-and-a-quarter-length victory, she brought a group of new standardbred owners the thrill of their lives.

Read on, and experience the thrill, in my latest piece for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association!

For my latest at the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, I sat down for a chat with driver Kyle Wilfong after his dominant five-win day on Sunday.  We talked about his background in harness racing, what he finds so compelling about the sport, and about some of the most memorable horses in his lifetime in the standardbred world.

Head over to the IHHA site, and read it!

In my first piece for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, I sit down for a chat with trainer Payton Ode about an idea that has grown into something seriously exciting: Stable vs. Stable!

It started as a challenge to his friends to come out to the racetrack…and it has grown beyond his own barn and his own friend, into a friendly competition and a way that anyone (including you!) can meet the people and horses of harness racing up close.

So — read my first piece for the IHHA, and if you’re in Chicago, make plans this winter to come out for an up close and personal day at Hawthorne!