Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Ronnie "Boom Boom" Marsh Steers Upseter

Miss Marie Lavoux (No. 1) came up the open stretch to pull off an upset win at 9-1 odds in Maywood Park's $10,000 Pacific Series Final Wednesday night. The 7-10 favorite I'mgonnagetchagood (No. 6) was second, while the pacesetter Ft. Apache Annie (No. 3) ended up third.

February 23, 2005

Given a perfect trip by veteran Chicago driver Ron Marsh, Miss Marie Lavoux rallied up the open stretch and posted an upset victory in Maywood Park’s $10,000 Pacific Series Final Wednesday night. At the start Marsh scooted the 9-1 longshot away hard from the one-slot and got when he wanted--a journey behind one of the favorites throughout the 1:57 winning mile.

The 3-1 second choice Ft Apache Annie and driver Sam Widger grabbed control of the eight-horse field after she cleared Miss Marie Lavoux coming out of the first turn. Ft Apache Annie sped to a :27.4 first quarter when driver Andy Miller took the 7-10 unbeaten favorite I’mgonnagetchagood out of sixth, where she was some 10-plus lengths off the leader.

“I pushed Sam's (Widger) horse (Ft. Apache Annie) pretty hard out of the gate,” Ronnie noted. “I wanted to sting her pretty hard but not so much so that she’d stop in front of us.”

I’mgonnagetchagood was third-over when Ft Apache Annie got away with a slow :30.3 second quarter. Maddymollymacey (Tim Tetrick) was racing first up on the backside as Miller sent I’mgonnagetchagood three-wide, coming on to be third, one and one-quarter lengths off the leader at the 1:28 flat third quarter, whereas Marsh had Miss Marie Lavoux sitting pretty right behind the pacesetting Ft Apache Annie.

I’mgonnagetchagood was still three-wide through the last turn and the Gerald Hansen trained filly kept digging in, ending up a game second, beaten a neck by Miss Marie Lavoux, who used her :28.2 last panel and the inside passing lane to notch her third victory in six season starts. Ft Apache Annie held on for third, beaten a half-length.

“Miss Marie Lavous is a very tiny little horse but she tries really hard all the time,” said Marsh. “Tonight she really took advantage of a great trip. Any horse with some class who gets a trip like this is really going to use it to her advantage, and that’s just what she did in here. She’s very honest. I just can’t say well enough about her, and from the size of her, you’d never figure she had such a big heart.”