By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

Douglas Overhiser, a long-time harness racing fan who made the plunge into being an avid owner not too long ago, could have saved himself a lot of walking Thursday if he grabbed a seat near the Springfield winner’s circle.

Overhiser and his trainer Erv Miller made six trips to greet the track photographer Patricia Fryman, and five came in the initial three-year-old ICF stakes of the year, either a Cardinal or Violet added money event.

Overhiser, who has a successful trucking business in Chicago, currently owns over 100 horses and some are six-figure purchases who have raced for bigger pots, nevertheless Thursday had to be one of his most enjoyable afternoons.

While the Cardinal and Violet state-bred three-year-old stakes have been around in Illinois for decades, Springfield was hosting them for the first time.

The opening $21,187 division of the Violet for trotting fillies saw the Rick Schrock trained Radiant Diamond (Kyle Wilfong) crush her field with a seven-plus-length romp in 1:56.2, more than two full seconds better than her freshman mark that also came at Springfield.

Radiant Diamond raced first over from about the half mile (:58) pole on and still had no trouble powering to the front and drawing away in her second start of the year and her first in a month. The Dontcheatonmenow filly is owned and bred by Illinoisians Jodi Peacock of Cantrell and Carol Reynold of Springfield.

Fox Valley Shania, nicely handled by Cordarius Stewart, showed again she likes a mile dirt track, leading at every pole for trainer Erv Miller in the second $25,213 Violet trot. The Can’t Afford It filly won both the Springfield and Du Quoin champions last year as a freshman for Doug Overhiser of New Smyrna, Florida, Engle Stable of Northbrook, Illinois, and Mystical Marker Farms of Portage, Indiana.

Last season’s freshman champ Marvelous Mystery (Kyle Wilfong) went off stride in the first turn while racing in the pocket behind Fox Valley Shania. The Curt Grummel filly came from far back to be third. Shespertifulipert (Tyler Miller) had a big effort to gain the runner-up spot.

The Cardinal splits for second season pacing colts and geldings were next up and the $24,500 first division was a three-horse photo with Fox Valley Jasper coming on to get his nose in front at the end of a 1:53.1 mile.

Right there in second was Fox Valley Cayman (Casey Leonard), just ahead of the third-place finisher Unhynged Speed (Matt Krueger). The Somestarsomewhere winner is trained by Erv Miller for Doug Overheiser and the Engel Stable of Illinois.

There were three lead chances before the 57.2 half with Unhynged Speed showing the way turning for home. Fox Valley Jasper picked up live cover Fox Valley Cayman to prevail for the eighth time in 11 career starts.

While the first Cardinal Pace was a nail-bitter, the second was “no contest.” The Amy Husted Stable’s Fox Valley Landen blew away a strong field of ICF sophomore pacers with an impressive quick time of 1:50 flat with Kyle Husted at his lines, five lengths the best.

The Amy Husted stable’s Fox Valley Landen (Kyle Husted) wowed the Springfield crowd Thursday with a 1:50 flat winning mile in a $24,450 Cardinal pacing division. (Patricia Fryman Photography)

It took a quick 26.4 first panel for Fox Valley Steeler (pp 8, Casey Leonard) to have command. Husted also sent Fox Valley Landen out before settling into third. On the backside Kyle pulled the son of Somestarsomewhere out and the gelding rolled past to the front, and just kept extending his lead for owners David Brigham (Concord, MI), John Schwarz (Wood Dale, IL) and Kyle Husted.

It was another rout in the first Volet pace and a third consecutive triumph for the Erv Miller stable as Fox Valley Leah coasted to her first victory in Illinois for driver Atlee Bender. Another Somstarsomewhere offspring, Fox Valley Leah stopped the timer in 1:51.4 in just her sixth lifetime outing, more than 10 lengths ahead at the finish wire.

“Leah” is owned by Doug Overhiser. The Floridian shares ownership of the $9,500 yearling purchase with his trainer Erv Miller and George Golemes of Oak Brook, Illinois.

Rona Mae (Kyle Wilfong) was second best and PD’S Showtime (Matt Krueger) came on for third.

The second $24,000 Violet split was a heck of a horse race and once more it was the combination of trainer Erv Miller and owner Doug Overhiser coming out on tope for Cordarius Stewart who got The Magical Woman up in the final strides in 1:53.3.

Forced three-wide in the first turn along with the second-place finisher Fox Valley Kia (Phil Knox), The Magical Woman proves fastest in the lane for Overhiser and fellow proprietor Anthony Lombardi of Morris, Illinois.

Goomster, capably driven by Travis Seekman became the only reigning two-year-old champions to prevail Thursday, posting a new 1:53.4 record mile in the initial $24,213 Cardinal trot grouping.

Owned and trained by Dennis Gardner of West Salem, Illinois, the Cassis gelding cut fractions of 28.2, :56.4 and 1:25.3 before trotting a 28.1 last quarter to extend his winning streak to seven in a row. Lous Andiamo took second, beaten four lengths.

Niko Man (Atlee Bender) had no trouble disposing of his Cardinal trot field in the second split with a 1:56.3 clocking. Once again it was a Miller trained, and Overhiser owned stake champion. Anthony Lombardi of Morris, Illinois shares ownership of the Cassis gelding.

Tankmetodennyleand finished second, almost five lengths in the eighth and last stake event on the card.

Cordarius Stewart drove four winners on the program while Atlee Bender had three.