Marcus Seizes Second Opportunity (08/28/10)

Posted Saturday, August 28, 2010

                                                                   By Mike Paradise 

  A golden opportunity usually doesn’t come along a second time however it did for Marcus Miller and the 21-year-old driver is all smiles he was given that second chance behind the three-year-old state-bred pacer Mystical Victress.

  “Right now she’s the best in her filly division and I’m real happy to have the opportunity to drive her again,” said Marcus. “Last year I made a mistake and got off her to drive another one of my other dad’s (Erv Miller) horses and Mystical Victress went on to have a super year for Brandon Simpson. But this year Brandon is out of town so I got another opportunity to handle her and she’s been something special.”

  With back-to-back state bred championships and a string of six consecutive victories the daughter of Sportsmaster out of the Jenna’s Beach Boy mare Sneakheravalentine is the 3-1 morning line favorite—along with her entry-mate Cotton candy (Dave Magee)—to also annex Saturday afternoon’s Time Dancer stake at the Du Quoin State Fair. Both fillies are owned by Mystical Marker Farms (Dyer, IN) and Peggy Hood (Valparaiso, IN).

  “Mystical Victress has come a long way this year,” added the 21-year-old Olney, Illinois native who recently went over the $1 million plateau in money won for 2010. “This past winter dad was talking about her all the time. He was really excited about the way she trained down.

  “When I drove her in her first start this season it was the first time I was behind her in a race in about a year and she made a break in the last turn. Afterwards we tighten her hobbles up and we were real careful with her in her next 4 or 5 starts,” continued Marcus.
 
  “Mystical Victress got confident and got her mind back on racing. Now she doesn’t put in a bad step at all and I can drive her just about anyway I want. She’s so game and I can leave with her this year. Last season she was pretty much a come-from-behind filly. Also as a two-year-old she had some troubles in the turns but this year she’s gotten over that problem. Every time now she turns for home she just takes off and finds another gear.”

  Mystical Victress has added $72,239 on her second season card after a freshman campaign that saw her earn $132,425. Among her 7 victories in her first 10 career outings came in Balmoral Park’s $68,000 Loyal Opposition Final and the $26,735 Sarah Myers. 

  After winning just 1 of her first 5 sophomore starts she began her six race streak on July 11 in the $9,000 Ohyouprettything with a 1:53.3 clocking, the same winning time in her $22,400 Hanover stake triumph. She swept through Balmoral’s Ann Vonian, taking the July 31 Final in 1:51.4, and followed with wins at Springfield in her elimination and the $35,000 Illinois State Fair Colts Stakes Final with a lifetime best 1:50.4 mile.

  The ninth race Time Dancer will be followed $20,000 tenth race Pronto Don for three-year-old trotting ICF colts and geldings and preceded by the eighth race $20,000 Windy Skeeter for sophomore trotting fillies.

  My Miss Caroline (Dave Magee), unbeaten in five career starts including Balmoral’s Fox Valley Flan and Springfield’s State Fair championships, is the likely heavy favorite in the sixth race $35,000 Shawnee for ICF freshman filly trotters. The Director’s Award stake for first freshman filly pacers was split into a pair of $17,500 divisions with the Dirk Simpson undefeated trainee Pardon (Dave Magee) the 2-1 programmed choice in the fourth race first split.

  First post Saturday and Sunday at Du Quoin is 12 noon (Central Daylight Time).

  To view Archived Notes and Quotes click here. 

                                                                                                               Springfield State Fair Photo

                        Mystical Victress posted a career best 1:50.4 mile in her Springfield Final victory.