Proving once again that he is just too much for the rest of the two-year-old colt pacing set here in the Prairie State Leland Mathias, Bert Hochsprung and Ervin Miller Stables' Power Of A Moment made it 10 straight victories
as he cruised to a deceptively easy half-length triumph in 1:53.4 while taking Saturday’s $27,000 ISOBA Sale Stake at Balmoral Park.
Given a patient steer by driver Marcus Miller, the son of Cole Muffler-Panfastic came away in sixth as Fox Valley Barbosa led the field through an opening quarter in :28.2.
“Ducking off the gate was our game plan going in,” explained Miller. “I had left out of there with him in a few of his most recent starts and I wanted to make sure he still knew what it was like to race off a helmet.”
Heading down the backstretch, driver Josh Sutton moved Voomerang out of fourth and sent him to the top. That prompted Miller to get underway with Power Of A Moment and this year’s Orange & Blue winner was on the move in fourth as the field reached the half-mile mark in :57.
Continuing a steady first-over grind to the leader, Power Of A Moment had moved into third, just 1-1/4 lengths behind the pacesetting Voomerang, as the field hit the three-quarter-mile mark in 1:25.3.
Racing well within himself, the Ervin Miller-trained gelding swallowed up the leader at the eighth pole and then proceeded to draw away from his rivals with a :27.4 final quarter to notch his 12th win in 15 lifetime starts. Voomerang held on for second while Fox Valley Barbosa was third.
After yet another victory with this year’s division champion and Illinois Horse of the Year candidate, Miller was quite impressed with his pacer's effort.
“He really takes care of himself and does only what he needs to do in order to win,” said a beaming Miller. “He’s the toughest horse I’ve driven in my career and he’s as good as he’s been all season long. I’m looking forward to going into the upcoming American National [elims November 7] with him."
With Saturday’s victory, Power Of A Moment now boasts $291,600 in career earnings.
(Balmoral Park)