Filly trotting champion Marvelous Mystery (Curt Grummel) shown here beating ICF freshman titleholder Goomster, is likely done for her three-year-old season. (Patsy Fryman Photography)


By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 

As we await today’s draw for Monday’s opening program for the Du Quoin State Fair meet and it’s two and three-year-old ICF stake events, let’s catch up on some Illinois racing happenings:

 

Last season’s ICF freshman filly champion trotter Marvelous Mystery appears to be done for this year.

 

“She has a little piece of her sesamoid broken and she most likely won’t be racing anymore this year,” said her trainer and co-owner Curt Grummel.

 

Marvelous Mystery was to race at Springfield in the August 15 ISFCS championship for three-year-old trotters that got rained out, along with all the other finals. However, trainer Curt Grummel scratched her before the Illinois State Fair championships were rescheduled to Sunday, September 10th at Hawthorne.

 

And don’t look for her illustrious stable-mate Funky Wiggle any time soon either. The news wasn’t good on the defending Illinois Harness Horse of the Year’s situation as well.

 

“Funky Wiggle has been battling lameness problems” continued Curt. “It flared up again. She had it back when she was two and three as well. We’ll take it slow to get her healthy again.”

 

A Dreary Month: A rainy August has brought about a lengthy absence of racing in the state, except for last weekend’s County Fair events at Anna and Morrison, placing many of our best two and three-year-old horses on the sidelines. In some instances, it’ll be four weeks in between starts.

 

That won’t be the case for a trio of well-regarded pacers from the Amy Husted Stable.

 

Fox Valley Landen, the stable’s talented three-year-old pacer, stayed sharp in a qualifying race last Saturday at Hoosier Park. The Somestarsomewhere colt easily won his qualifier in a speedy time of 1:51.4, coming home in 26.4 with Kyle Husted in the bike,

 

Fox Valley Landen will bring a six-racing winning streak into the upcoming Dudley Hanover stake at the Du Quoin State Fair. His two-year-old filly stable mates Chickabell (Kyle Husted) and Fox Valley Sadie were also busy over the weekend. Chickabell breezed in her 1:55.3 winning qualifier (28.2 last panel) by four and one-half lengths ahead of the barn’s second place finisher Fox Valley Sadie who paced in 1:55.2

 

Avenatti Brothers on Rise: The Chrisman, Illinois Avenatti brothers, Matt, and Wyatt, are undoubtedly enjoying this summer while plugging away at their craft.

The 30-year-old Matt is doing exceptionally well in both the trainer and driver categories. Matt currently sports a very solid UTRS of .335 as a conditioner and has a robust driver rating of .339. He’s a cinch to surpass this racing season his previous highs in races and money won in both groupings.

 

Wyatt, three years younger than his brother, has concentrated on just driving and his having a career year. His UDRS is at a lofty .345 and Wyatt’s current 68 dash winners is a new high and there’s four-plus months left of racing in Illinois. He’ll also blow by last year’s money won total of $273.69 by a large margin. He’s presently only $43,553 beneath it.

 

The brothers are sons of long-time Illinois based horseman David Avenatti.

 

 It’s Miller Time: Former Illinois based driving champion Andy Miller became the 21st driver in North America to win 10,000 races last Sunday at The Red Mile. The Mattoon, Illinois native. who will turn 55 on September 7th, drove the three-year-old trotter Samwise The Brave to his first career victory in a leg of the Kentucky Goldenrod Series.


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