by Tom Kelley, publicity director, Balmoral Park

Crete, IL — Illinois’ 2-year-old trotting set was back in action on Sunday, night as both the fillies and colts had their turn to shine in a pair of Sarah Myers Stakes at Balmoral Park.

Miss Vickie came from off the pace to notch yet another victory

In the $28,000 filly test, the red-hot Miss Vickie may have put a stamp on the division title with another impressive, come from behind victory, in 1:57.1, on a cold blustery evening in Crete.

Patiently handled by driver Brandon Simpson, this striking chestnut daughter of Valley Victory–Willy Nilly trotted near the back of the back of the pack early on as Queen Creek (Dean Magee) and Fox Valley Lover (Dale Hiteman) battled on the front end through opening splits of :28.4 and :57.2.

Working his way into the outer flow as the fillies moved around the final turn, Simpson had Miss Vickie perfectly positioned second-over, in fourth, as Fox Valley Lover hit the three-quarter mile mark in 1:28.

Showing no signs of rust after being away for more than three weeks, the Robert Taylor-trained miss then rattled-off a :28.4 final split as she blew past her rivals with the greatest of ease to win by a widening two lengths. Overt (Josh Sutton), who provided live cover for the winner, turned in a game effort to finish second, while Tropical Caprice (Dave Magee) rallied for third.

Since taking over the driving duties behind this good-looking filly, Simpson has guided Miss Vickie to four wins and a third in five starts, including victories in the $51,000 Lil Bit Tuff Final and the $133,000 Lady Lincoln Land Final. For the year, Miss Vickie boasts six wins and two thirds in nine starts, with earnings of $118,615 for Kevin Dixon and Robert Taylor. Pounded at the betting windows, Miss Vickie returned just $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10.

Balmoral Park photos

Definer continued to define himself as a consistent performer with an upset win

Things did not go as smoothly for the favorites in the $27,000 colt division, as the world champion Southern Rocketop (2-5) and the highly regarded Dr McDreamy (3-1) both fell victim to early miscues, which allowed the ultra-consistent Definer to grab command and make every call a winning one, in 1:57.4.

With the division leader, Southern Rocketop, on a break behind the gate, driver Tyler Buter, who recently posted his 1,000th career win, left quickly from post position four with Definer, and then did a great job maneuvering around a breaking Dr McDreamy in the first turn.

With those two out of the way, Buter and Definer grabbed control of the racetrack and proceeded to march through splits of :28.4, :58, and 1:28.2 while relatively unchallenged on the front end.

Through the stretch Buter, continued to sit chilly in the bike behind the Kenny Collier-trained son of Armbro Tropicana–Sue’s Sweet Shery as the pocket-sitting Be Bullish (Dave Magee) and Shining Armor (Brent Holland) tried to mount challenges. A late break then cost Be Bullish any chance he might have had, and Definer did the rest as he held his rivals at bay to win by 1-¾ lengths. Shining Armor was second, while a 44-1 outsider, Sago (Dan Noble), came on to be third.

Despite chasing Southern Rocketop for most of the season, Definer has been the model of consistency in the division. Sunday’s victory gave the bay gelding an impressive record of seven wins, three seconds and two thirds in 13 starts, with earnings of $113,077 for the partnership of Rietveld, Dorn, Gibson, and Collier. The third choice in the wagering returned $15.80, $5.00 and $3.60, while keying a $2,536.00 Trifecta and a $1,241.00 10-Cent Superfecta payout.