Millers donate earnings on Pink Ribbon Day at Springfield

Marcus Miller and his Uncle Andy raised $640 for cancer research during Pink Ribbon Day Wednesday at the Illinois State Fair. Marcus, the 19-year-old son of trainer Ervin Miller, and Andy, the trainer’s brother, donated half of their five percent driver’s earnings from their day’s drives to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Friends and owners of horses in the Erv Miller Stable pledged to match the Millers’ earnings.

While Andy Miller failed to reach the winner’s circle he did finish second four times--including the $50,000 Illinois State Fair Colt Stakes final for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers—to go along with a third, a fourth and two fifth-place finishes to earn $475 for the cause. Marcus won twice and had a third and a fourth, good for $165.

Earlier this summer the young Miller, who will be a sophomore this fall at Eastern Illinois University, where he is majoring in marketing, started using the pink sulky formerly used for the Miller Stable’s great champion Loyal Opposition when people began asking him if it had a particular significance.

“People asked if that’s why I had it, for breast cancer awareness,” Miller said. “I said no, but after about the third person I said, ‘Why not?’

“I thought it would be great publicity for the sport and myself and at the same time doing something that’s really good.”

Miller contacted people associated with the county fairs in Decatur, Charleston and Mt. Sterling and set up the fund raisers. After their success he was contacted by John Cisna who wanted to do something similar at the state fair and Marcus agreed. Andy Miller, who drove Loyal Opposition in the pink bike on several occasions, agreed to participate as well.

“I went to Amy (Bliefnick), our state fair manager and asked her if we could have that type of participation at the races and she was very much for it,” Cisna said.

“I wanted to come up with a little theme, so the little logo that we have is E-Race Cancer and then we have a harness horse in the middle with the USTA logo, and had some t-shirts made.”

The T-shirts were sold for $10 to patrons as they entered the grandstand and the day’s program was also printed in pink. Donations were collected throughout the grandstand and pledge cards were also made available to the fans.  

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