Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Two $25,000 Divisions of the Associates Stake
....results from Maywood Friday Night, November 26, 2004
by Kimberly Rinker

Seventh Race: $25,000 Associates Stake (ICF 3YO&Up)
Post/Horse                  Driver
2-He's The Real Deal      Dave Magee
3-Black Oliver*              Tim Tetrick
1-Cold Sweat                 Dale Hiteman
Times: :27, :55.4, 1:24.2, 1:53.3

Tenth Race: $25,000 Associates Stake (ICF 3YO& Up)
Post/Horse                      Driver
3-Constant Change             Dave Magee
2-Go Warrior Go                 Ryan Anderson
4-My Buddy Bob                 Pat Berry
Times: :28, :57, 1:25, 1:53
*Denotes an Odds On Racing horse

Constant Change continued his remarkable record at Maywood Park when he paced to another victory in the second $25,000 Associates Stake state-bred stake Friday night as the 4-5 public’s choice. The 1:53 flat win was the tenth in his last 23 starts on the Chicago circuit’s half-miler, to go along with five second place finishes.

The Associates triumph also earned the horse’s owners Benita Simmons (Springfield, IL), Hunt Harness Horse Inc. (Big Rock, IL) and Helen Logan (Coffeyville, KS) a share of the Maywood Park Pacing Series $20,000 bonus with Taser Gun, who has been sidelined with a leg injury. Both horses earned 75 series points.

“This is a great thrill for us, especially since now we get a share of the bonus,” co-owner Benita Simmons said. “Constant Change really raced well and he didn’t see the track that much this past week either. The horse had last Saturday and Sunday off, since he won here last Friday night. We jogged him Monday and trained him lightly on Tuesday. Then we gave him Wednesday off and were going to jog him on Thanksgiving, but we weren’t able to….so actually he only saw the track twice this week before this race. Constant Change has now banked $170,715 this season, while winning 11 of 28 starts. The six-year-old Cole Muffler offspring has 14 Maywood Park career victories.

Dave Magee also drove the one-time $12,000 claimer He’s The Real Deal to a convincing 1:53.3 victory as the 8-5 favorite in the first $25,000 Associates stake division for the Darcy Pletcher Stable.

The five-year-old son of Cole Muffler had a record of just 2 wins in 33 season starts when Indigan Stable (Howe IN), Charles Trakas (Newark, DE) and Darcy Pletcher (South Chicago Heights) claimed him in late September at Balmoral Park. Friday’s seventh race stake triumph was He’s The Real Deal’s fourth in his last six races.

“I claimed this horse on September 25 for just $12,000,” Pletcher said. “I had always liked this horse. I thought he was really nice gaited and he was kind of a hard hitter that didn’t seem to have an end to him.

“I just made a few, simple equipment changes to him,” Darcy said. “He can be pretty ornry in the barn, he likes to bite and is very playful. Next he’ll probably go back to Balmoral for a start…I’ll put him in wherever he fits, a conditioned race or high claimer.”

The $12,500 winner’s share of the purse boosted the winner’s season earnings to $58,661.