ICF Freshman Champ Eyes Cardinal (05/29/10)

Posted Saturday, May 29, 2010

                                                                               By Mike Paradise 
   
  Power Of A Moment, the 2009 Illinois Horse of the Year, returns to the races Saturday evening at Balmoral Park with a ten race winning streak in a Cardinal stake elimination and no one is more excited about his three-year-old debut than his own young driver Marcus Miller.

   “I went down to Springfield twice to qualify him and he was really good,” said the 21-year-old Miller with a big smile on his face. “I’m really looking forward to driving him again this year.”

  Power Of A Moment drew off in both of his winning downstate qualifiers, a 1:55.1 clocking (:26.4 last quarter) on May 15 by almost 16 lengths and a 1:55.4 mile (:27.1 last panel) a week later by 11 1/2 lengths.

   “Power Of A Moment is the same horse as he was last year,” continued Marcus. “He didn’t grow much but he is a little stronger. He drives the same and he doesn’t wear any different equipment. He just goes out there and does his work.”

  When the talented son of Cole Muffler goes to work he gets the job done race after race. To be exact he was victorious in 12 of 15 starts in his freshman season for trainer Erv Miller, winning his last 10 in a row that included Balmoral’s $240,000 Orange and Blue,  $71,000 Mini Me and $51,900 Cardinal finals, along with both the Springfield and Du Quoin State Fair Championships.

  Power Of A Moment pulled down $291,600 in his first campaign for Illinois owners Leland Mathias (Bethany), Bert Hochsprung (Elburn) and the Erv Miller Stable (Springfield) who dished out a modest $25,000 for him at the 2008 Cottonwood Farm Sale.
 
  The Illinois bred star of the always powerful Miller Stable took his first season mark of 1:50.4 in his Super Night Orange and Blue championship.

   “Power Of A Moment is eligible for the North America Cup,” continued Marcus. “We’ll just have to wait and see if he’s good enough to go there. It would be awesome if he did.”

  To earn a trip to Canada Power Of A Moment will have to continue his dominance in the state-bred division. All he needs Saturday night is a third place or better finish to make next week’s $56,000 Cardinal championship and he’s the heavy 6-5 programmed favorite in the fourth race, the first of a trio of elims.

  Power Of A Moment’s stable-mate Iam Bonasera makes his second season bow in the second elimination after two nice winning qualifiers and will open as the 5-2 morning line choice. Among his biggest threats is the Roger Welch Stable’s Voomerang (3-1, Mike Oosting), a Hanover stake winner at two when he banked over $80,000.

  Ima Bonasera final freshman start was a 1:51.1 victory in a $65,000 Elevation stake at Indiana Downs. The son of Cole Muffler was second on Super Night, beaten a half-length by Power Of A Moment in the Orange and Blue Final.

  The third elim (sixth race) will see Jesse De Long’s Delco Willobee race on a mile track for the first time. He went 8 for 12 on Illinois and Wisconsin fair tracks last season and captured all three of Maywood’s ICF stakes thus far this season with tonight’s driver John De Long. Delco Willobee will open at as the 5-2 first flash favorite.

  The Roman Conquest, the third Erv Miller trainee in the elims also driven by Marcus, is the 7-2 second choice in the third split with JHS (Mike Oosting) next at 4-1 odds.

                                                                                                                                      Balmoral Park Photo

   Super Night Orange and Blue one-two finishers Power Of A Moment and Ima Bonsera make their three-year-old debuts in Saturday's stake Cardinal eliminations.

     To view Archived Notes and Quotes click here.