Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Loyal Opposition & driver Andy Miller winning at Maywood Park

Loyal Opposition Vies in Cape & Cutter

February 24, 2005

A dozen days after winning her second divisional championship in three years, Loyal Opposition will be battling the top pacing mares in training in the $91,000 Cape & Cutter Final, the co-featured seventh race on Friday night at the Meadowlands. The daughter of Cole Muffler, now five and with a bankroll of nearly $1.9 million, was selected the Dan Patch Award winner as Older Pacing Mare of the Year for 2004. She was also the honoree when she was two.

"I was a little surprised she won another Dan Patch Award, but I also thought we had the best year," said owner Daniel Waxman of Ancaster, Ontario. "Those other mares -- Bunny Lake, Carolina Sunshine and Eternal Camnation -- all had great careers, and you had to
especially consider them because they retired. She was also voted the 2004 Illinois Horse of the Year."

In 2004, Loyal Opposition posted a record of nine wins, four seconds and four thirds from 18 starts for earnings of $472,660. This year she has two wins and a second in three starts and is the slight 3-1 morning line favorite in the Cape & Cutter Final.

"Yes, I was pretty excited and surprised when she equaled the world record [1:48.4] in the Lady Liberty [last summer], but we've always believed she has a lot of talent," he added. "It is a matter of timing to a certain extent, but she was pretty good all year long. The
one exception was the [$125,000] Ann Vonian at Balmoral Park [on September 18] when she came up a little sick and finished second to Parklane Powerful. I don't want to take anything away from Parklane Powerful though. She's a great mare in her own right, and she beat us flat out that night.

"We drew inside [post two] this week, so hopefully George [driver George Brennan] will be able to leave a little more," Waxman said. "Last year, John Campbell had committed to driving Bunny Lake in the Lady Liberty, so we called George. He had never driven for us, and since then, between Loyal Opposition and [Sweetheart winner] Fox Valley Shaker, he's never finished worse than third in about 15 starts. Obviously, it's working out well for us, and we'll stick with it. Fox Valley Shaker is coming back well.

"Loyal Opposition was as good the night she won her last race of the season at Woodbine [on October 22] as she was all year," he noted. "The great way she finished off was really why we brought her back so early this year. Erv [trainer Ervin Miller] always thought she would be a good four-year-old but would come back even better at five. So, the intention was always to race her this year if she was sound, healthy and wanted to do it. We'll take this season as it comes and make a decision from there.

"She's a mare who normally takes a few starts get her back to her peak," he added. "We missed one week in Chicago and would've liked to start her one more time to get her a little tighter for the Meadowlands. From what I've seen and heard, she ready for another big season."