Atlee Bender, assistant trainer, and driver for the Midwest Division of the Erv Miller stable, sees a strong ICF three-year-old colt assembly for this season. (Four Footed Photo)


By Mike Paradise for the IHHA

 

Quality and quantity are a formidable combination in any sport, including harness racing. It paid off for Team Miller in last season’s Illinois bred colt two-year-old pacing division and it could very well be the key of getting the job done again as three-year-olds.

 

The Midwest division of the Erv Miller Stable under the care of Atlee Bender and his wife Hanna Miller came away with the top prize when the stable’s Illini Jetset pulled off a bit of an upset in the $154,000 Incredible Finale showdown on the 2022 Hawthorne’s Night of Champions with a heady drive from Todd Warren.

 

Going into the race Illini Jetset competed in the shadow of stable-mate Fox Valley Jasper who started off his freshman campaign by rattling off six consecutive victories including the summer’s $50,000 Incredible Finale final and a sweep of the Illinois Fair Colt State championships at Springfield.

 

However, at Du Quoin the 6-5 favorite was a disappointing fourth place finisher in his division of the Director’s Cup, and a week later made a break and ended up sixth in his Night of Champions elimination, failing to advance to its lucrative final.

 

“Fox Valley Jasper started out really good, but he wasn’t healthy later in the summer,” said his driver and assistant trainer Atlee Bender. “The horse also was a little sore. Those two things took its toll on him, so we stopped with Jasper after he failed to make the (Incredible Finale) final.”

 

With Jasper out of the championship the stable’s fate in the finale rested on the shoulders of Mister Sleaze (Travis Seekman) who came from seventh to win his eight-horse elimination, and Illini Jetset (Todd Warren) who was second best in his elim. The stable’s other freshman pacer Fox Valley Patriot finished just a head behind Mister Sleaze but impeded another horse and was disqualified to fifth, missing the final.

 

Set off at 8-1 odds, Warren gave Illini Jetset a second over winning journey on the Night of Champions.

 

“Todd did a very nice job of driving the horse,” continued Bender. “Illini Jetset has a really good brush, but he was on the small side as a two-year-old and a bit frail. He’s doing well training in Indiana, and he’s gotten bigger and stronger.”

 

Illini Jetset’s $69,300 first place Incredible Finale money propelled the University of Illinois bred youngster’s initial campaign bankroll to just a shade under $100,000 in purse earnings for the trio of Doug Overhiser (New Smyma Beach, FL), Sara K. Miller (Stroudsburg, PA) and the Erv Miller State Inc. (Wind Gap, PA)

 

“I was very happy the way Mister Sleazy ended his year. He raced well in the Hawthorne championship and finished strong, too. He’s a big horse and that hurt him some as a two-year-old. He’s gotten bigger and he has gotten stronger. He’s filled out nicely. I’m looking forward to his three-year-old season.

 

“Fox Valley Patriot was a nervous horse as a two-year-old. He acts better now. I’m hoping he can continue to mature.”

 

The stable’s Fox Valley Shania was the only freshman filly trotter to beat the two-year-old Illinois champion Marvelous Mystery and she did in both the Springfield and Du Quoin championships, however she went off stride in her Fox Valley Flan elimination at 1 to 9 and missed that stake’s final.

 

“Shania is way stronger than she was a year ago, added Atlee. “She had a problem in her behind area and it caught up with her later. That’s why she made some breaks toward the end of her season. I think she’ll do very well as a three-year-old.”

 

As for Bender, his career has grown leaps and bounds from just a couple of years ago.

 

In 2020 the 31-year-old Bender had only 42 drives and four winners. One year later the Goshen, Indiana native saw his driving opportunities jump to 764 trips to the gate and his winning drives mushroom to 113. Last year he was even busier and did even better with 1,096 starters and 166 winner’s circle visits.

 

Even more importantly for Atlee, purse money won from his drives shot up from $70,875 three years ago to $1.11 million in 2021 and $2.36 million 12 months later.

 

Getting Ready: A trio of defending ICF division champions qualified yesterday at Hoosier Park preparing for their 2023 debut.

 

Aged Pace titleholder He’zzz A Wise Sky finished second while pacing on 1:53.3. Two-time state-bred aged trotting champion Talk About Valor was timed in 1:55.4 while finishing third. Apple Valley, last year’s Illinois bred filly pace champ, breezed in 1:55.3.

 

The three-year-old Illinois bred Ghost Shark was sent off at 1 to 9 when he breezed on the front end with a 1:51.3 mile in his second leg of a series at Pocono. He races in a third series leg on Saturday.



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