The Illinois State Fair Grounds is where the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service office (not seen) is located, in Springfield, IL, on Nov. 2, 2011. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Two-Year Old Filly Dies in Freak Accident at State Fair

By Greg Halbleib Aug 14, 2025 | 5:35 AM

A two-year-old filly died in an accident while warming up for the first harness race of Wednesday’s card at the Illinois State Fair.

Lil Kell bucked its driver, jumped the rail and fell into the tunnel on the infield. The horse’s owner, Dennis Gardner of West Salem, Illinois, told the State Journal-Register the filly died “pretty well instantaneously” in what was a “one in a billion freak accident.”