A set of series finals went postward Thursday evening at Hawthorne Racecourse, as the ladies battled it out in the finals of the Walter Paisley and the David Magee.
The $15,800 final of the Walter Paisley – an event for fillies and mares who were non-winners of $30,000 (Illinois conceived foals $45,000) as of March 31, 2017 – went to Phyllis Jean in wire-to-wire fashion for driver Casey Leonard.
Sent off as the 1-9 favourite, Phyllis Jean shot to the lead and threw down fractions of :28.3, :57 and 1:25.2 before using a :28-second final frame to win by 2-1/4 lengths over Leenah Pearl in 1:53.2. Taking home the show dough was Burry Me Inthesand.
Leon Walker trains the four-year-old daughter of Henry Clay-Art On My Mind for Alan Beals of Berwyn, IL. The nine-time winner, who is 5-for-18 this season, bumped her bankroll to $67,175 with the victory.
Two races later in the $16,600 final of the David Magee for three-year-old Illinois conceived and foaled fillies who were non-winners of $10,000 lifetime as of March 31, 2017 it was Ladys Party overcoming a tough trip to win in 1:55.4 for the tandem of driver Casey Leonard and trainer Mike Titus.
Leonard had the pacer parked past the quarter and the half before muscling to the lead. With first-half fractions of :28.4 and :56.3 on the board, Ladys Party cleared to the top and proceeded to chop out a third panel of 1:25.2. She then stepped home in :30.2 to win by a neck over Smiles Ahead in 1:55.4. Jewels Hall took home the show dough.
Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, Ladys Party visited the winner’s circle for the fifth time in nine career tries. The daughter of Party At Artsplace-Murvys Lady went over $20,000 in lifetime earnings with the win for Charleston, IL partners Mitchell Titus and Dennis Wright.