They're and racing at Springfield. (Patricia Fryman Photography)



By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

   Marcus Miller made a triumphant return to his old “home” track by driving four winning horses at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Friday’s Violet and Cardinal stakes for Illinois bred 3-year-old pacers and trotters.

 The 36-year-old Miller grew up in nearby Sherman, IL and spent a good portion of his early driving years competing at the Springfield facility before heading out to the east coast.

  Marcus won with Kays In Charge, Louise’s Legacy, Fox Valley Jasmine, and Dialogue.

 The much-anticipated duel between the top-rated pair of state-bred sophomore trotting fillies turned out to be a convincing victory for Kays In Charge, nicely handled by Miller, over the third-place finisher Lous My Number (Casey Leonard) in the second Violet split.

 Both fillies, along with the runner-up Gypsy Rose Lou (Curt Grummel), left hard with last year’s champion Lous My Number making the top and Kays In Charge taking the winning pocket trip. The Tom Simmons trained Kays In Charge motored past in the stretch while taking a new lifetime mark of 1:56.3 for owner Marty Engel of Northbrook, IL

 What A Legacy, driven by her trainer Mike Brink, showed what she can do with a flat mile, and powered her way to a comfortable win in the first division of the Violet for ICF 3-year-old trotting fillies.

 The daughter of Lou’s Legacy raced first over to the front-stepping Almost Home (Miller) and still easily zipped past in the lane. Lous Avalon (Wyatt Avenatti) came on for second in the 1:57.2 mile.

 The $47,747 divisions of the Cardinal trots were next, and Marcus was back in the winner’s circle after guiding last season’s freshman champ Louise’s Legacy to his sixth consecutive triumph in the first split. The pacesetter One Trip Chip (Archie Buford) took the bridesmaid role.

 The Tom Simmons trained Frontier Macho (Casey Leonard) was all-out to remain unbeaten in 2025, holding off the late rushes of Sunburnt Silverado (Miller) and DJ’s Midnight (Mike Cox).

  An early move from sixth to first put Frontier Macho in command where he was well rated to his fourth straight win, this one in 1:57.4, a new mark for the son of Class Included.

 A trio of $33,341 divisions of the Violet pace followed.

 Driver Wyatt Avenatti hustled Fox Valley Starlet out from the 7-slot with a 27.2 first panel and the Rob Rittof trainee has no trouble going wire-to-wire in 1:53.3, a career fastest mile. Robintino (Miller) came on strong in the late going to grab second.

 Marcus used a backside move for his pacer to grind his way to the front with Fox Valley Jamine where the Erv Miller trained filly had more than enough in the tank to put away the second Violet split with a 1:55.4 clocking. I Love My Captain (Travis Seekman) was second best over a late-closing Jezibell Mooss (Juan Franco).

  Defending filly titleholder Thebeauitfulthings made her first start of the year against Illinois breds an easy victory for driver Kyle Husted, despite being used a couple of times.

  The Amy Husted trained filly had been racing in Canada against the best open company distaffers in North America in the Fan Hanover. Under a hold at the end of a 1:55 mile. Thebeautifulthings was four-plus lengths the best Friday.

 Three $331,165 groupings of the Cardinal pace for colts and geldings concluded the 10-race program.

 Marcus perfectly rated Dialogue to his 1:52.3 mile and ended Battlin Bob’s (Travis Seekman) three race winning streak in the first division, Miller used the rail to get command and Dialogue, from the barn of trainer Kimberley Roth, sped to a 27.1 first panel and paced a 27 flat last quarter to seal the one-length victory.

 Casey Leonard gave Dandy’s Freedom an up-close journey and the Terry Leonard trained gelding responded with a 1:54 flat victory in the second Cardinal division, more than a full second off the homebred’s previous fastest mile.

 As expected, the 2024 Illinois Horse of the Year Cash Money Twenty drew off to give Casey a driving triple for the day in the third heat. The 1:53.1 mile was the Mike Brink trainee’s 13th win in 14 trips to the starting gate. Jim’s Big Boy (Archie Buford) had a big effort to finish second.