by Mike Paradise, for the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association

Springfield, IL — Harness racing at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield concludes Thursday afternoon (August 20) with Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes Championships to be decided on the central Illinois one-mile clay oval. The hometown filly My Heart Was True will carry a five-race winning streak into the 3-year-old distaff pace final, the longest of any of the morning line favorites.

“Springfield is her home track so that gives her a little edge over some of the other fillies in her division,” said trainer Nick Giberson who resides in the Illinois state capitol with his wife Amy. “My filly is used to this clay track. She trains on it.

Balmoral Park photo

Balmoral Park’s Ann Vonian champion My Heart Was True looks to add the Springfield crown to her 3-year-old accomplishments.

“We bought My Heart Was True for $42,000 at last year’s Harrisburg Sale. At the time we were looking for a 3-year-old Illinois bred trotter to race back home while I’m at Pocono (Downs) but we couldn’t find any. My friend (trainer) Rick Schrock suggested I take a look at My Heart Was True. Rick said she is out of a family loaded with successful brothers and sisters, so we did.

“I knew if we bought her she would be going this year against such top-notch fillies as Fox Valley Topaz and Native Hotspur but I liked what I saw and I told the Devissers (Lee and Linda) that the filly had plenty of potential and I thought she would be worth buying for around $40,000. Lee also likes to have well bred fillies for potential broodmares.

“My Heart Was True was lightly raced at two and she certainly has the pedigree to be a good Illinois bred filly. When I trained her down she acted like was going to be a good filly. When we got her she was kind of on the small side but she really grew over the winter, about a foot and a half in length and width.”

Since My Heart Was True only won one race as a 2-year-old and earned under $25,000, Giberson was able to start her off in May in conditioned paces at Balmoral where she won four straight. In mid-June she finished third in the $100,000 Maywood Filly Pace, her only loss this season in 10 outings for driver Brandon Simpson.

The daughter of Cole Muffler, out of the Big Towner dam Would I Lie, went to Balmoral and captured a $14,905 ISOBA stake on July 5 in 1:51.1. Two weeks later she took a $25,300 Hanover split, and then followed with victories in 1:52.1 in her Ann Vonian elimination and a lifetime best time of 1:51 in the final from Balmoral’s 10-hole.

Last Saturday she was back home in Springfield and easily rang up her fifth consecutive triumph in her State Fair elimination, winning in comfortable fashion with a 1:52.1 mile while racing first up.

“My Heart Was True has been a super filly to drive,” said Simpson. “You can do anything you want with her.”

Giberson agreed.

“The biggest plus going for us with this filly is her versatility,” said the 32-year-old conditioner. “For Brandon to be able to get behind the gate with her and do whatever he wants with the filly is something that a driver can’t do with very many horses.

“I thought at the beginning of the year she was the type of filly who could be a good one but everything had to fall in place at the right time. And it did.”

Severe weather forced Wednesday’s races at Springfield to be called off after the first. The Wednesday card will be raced this afternoon (Thursday) and it will be followed by the closing Thursday program.

Editor’s Note: Mike Paradise writes a daily harness racing column for the IHHA at www.harnessillinois.com.