By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

Last season’s ICF two-year-old filly trotting titleholder Marvelous Mystery put an end to the seven-race winning streak of Goomster, the 2002 state-bred male trot champion, Friday at Springfield.

Curt Grummel, the trainer, and co-owner of Marvelous Mystery gave the daughter of Lou’s Legacy a perfect journey and his filly responded with a nifty last quarter (:27.1) to overtake Goomster (Travis Seekman) in the late going.

Marvelous Mystery’s half-length victory was in 1:55 flat, a new lifetime mark for the Grummel family ownership of Curt, brother Craig, and their father Leo, all of Carrollton, Illinois.

Marvelous Mystery had more than a one length lead at the 28 first panel but relinquish it when Seekman took Goomster out of the pocket and to the front and did it with a modest 30.1 second panel. The Cassis gelding had to put away a strong move by Lous Andiamo (Matt Krueger) to hold a nose lead at the three-quarter pole (1:27.2).

All the while Grummel was sitting chilly with his talented filly. Once asked to get into a higher gear Marvelous Mystery poured it on in the lane to notch her 12th win in 16 lifetime starts.

  Good as Advertise: The battle of the recent Cardinal pacing champions Fox Valley Landen (Kyle Husted) and Fox Valley Jasper (Cordarius Stewart) turned out to be as good as touted.

The two talented ICF three-year-olds went head-to-head down the State Fair Grounds stretch with Fox Valley Landen proving best at the end of a 1:53.1 mile. It was the third consecutive triumph for the Amy Husted trained gelding owned by David Bingham of Concord, Michigan, John Schwarz of Wood Dale, Illinois, and Kyle Husted of Altamont.

The third-place finisher Fox Valley Steele (Casey Leonard) dictated the fractions of 28.4, 57.3 before Cordarius took Fox Valley Jasper out of fourth with Fox Valley Landen right on his back. While “Jasper” was taking air, “Landen,” was enjoying a more favorable voyage racing behind him. In the lane the two sons of Somestarsomewhere pulled away from the field with Fox Valley Landen eventually prevailing by almost one length.

The Champ Beaten:  Fox Valley Gemini’s march towards 60 career victories was stalled by L Dees Jack Lopez, thanks to a heady drive by Cordarius Stewart. The Erv Miller trained gelding got the early jump on the eight-year-old Illinois champ and went on to a wire and wire victory, his third in a row.

Stewart hustled L Dees Jack Lopez out from the rail to a quick lead while Fox Valley Gemini was fifth, and last, at the first quarter pole reached in :28.4. Another soft 28.4 quarter put the six-year-old gelding in great shape for an upset, ahead of Gemini by almost six lengths.

L Dees Jack Lopez paced a 55 flat last half to finish five and one-half lengths ahead of Fox Valley Gemini in the 1:52.2 mile. Showboat Shooting came on to be third. L Dees Jack Lopez is owned by the Erv Miller Stable (Wind Cap, PA) and Douglas Overhiser (FL.)

Still Cashing In: Cordarius Stewart continued to have the hot hand at Springfield with six winning drives on Friday’s programs to give him a leading 17 total for the State Fairgrounds meeting. Casey Leonard had a four-bagger, while Travis Seekman collected a driving triple.