Harness racing continues around state

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has moved all county fair harness racing to the state fairgrounds in Springfield because of COVID-19.

In a July 20 race at Hawthorne Racecourse in Stickney, the state's host for Parimutuel Stakes races, Freddie Patton Jr. drove BBR Lady to the horse's fifth win in its last seven starts to increase the filly's career bankroll to $20,000.

Impressive Art, owned by Newton's Dane May, earned a victory, while Artofficial Flavor earned a win for trainer Angie Coleman, formerly of Altamont.

Kyle Husted of Altamont was injured shortly after 10:30 p.m. July 19 in a harness racing accident at Hawthorne Race Course near Chicago, which is hosting the state Parimutuel Stakes, when the horse he was driving stumbled and fell while leading the field around the final turn.

Husted, 28, was leading with Captain Classic as the horses approached the top of the homestretch, when the pacer tripped and fell after the hopple tethered to his right front leg broke and slipped below the knee. Rock Jagger, who was drafting behind Captain Classic, made contact with the left wheel on Husted's race bike, unseating Husted and landing him on his hip and shoulder in the middle lanes of the racetrack.

Husted's mother, Pam Coleman, confirmed that her son was transferred by ambulance to Loyola University's Level I Trauma Center, approximately six miles northwest of the racetrack. Evaluation of Husted's injuries were continuing as of mid-morning on Monday, with preliminary reports indicating that the injuries were not life-threatening – but likely to sideline Husted for the remainder of the 2020 racing season.

Drivers Casey Leonard, 42, of Harvard, and Tyler Shehan, 37, of Hopkinsville, Ky., were also unseated in the accident.

Husted, who has driven horses at the parimutuel level on a full-time basis since 2009, has won 664 races in his career, while his mounts have earned a total of $5 million.

Following a delayed start to the 2020 campaign because of reconstructive knee surgery, he had won 21 races and posted a total of 57 top-three finishes on the year, with purse earnings of $182,000.