Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Maywood Pace Filly Eliminations & $25,000 Est. Pick Four Pool
Highlight Wednesday Night Program at Chicago's In-Town Oval
For Tuesday, June 8, 2004
by Kimberly A. Rinker & Michael Antoniades

On Wednesday night at Maywood Park, two $10,000 eliminations of the Maywood Park Filly Pace will be contested for sophomore pacing distaffs as events seven and nine on the evening's card. The colts will vie on Friday night, June 11 in elimination (s) for the Maywood Pace Final. Both events carry an estimated purse of $100,000 each, and both will be contested on Friday, June 18.

As well, the Pick Four also begins on Race Seven, with a carryouver pool of $4,330.69. Handicapper Antoniades estimates a pool of $25,000 on the Wednesday Pick Four, and also notes that the Pick Seven begins with Race One wiht a $6,435.08 rollover.

Starters in the filly division (Race Nine-Wednesday) include Maywood track record holder Aries Conquest (1:54.1-Oct. 10, 2003), who’ll have Andy Miller in the sulky from post one. Her five rivals inlcude Lexus Gram (Dave Magee), She’s The Reason (Eric Ledford), Sports Ball (Tony Morgan), Jenny’s Picnic (Mike Oosting) and Unspeakable Joy (Ryan Anderson). The first four finishers in each division will return for the final on June 18 at Maywood.

"Aries Conquest raced tremendously in her last start," Miller said. "She’s perfect to drive and is good on any size track, and never gives you a poor effort. She should be tough to beat in this race with the rail."

Aries Conquest is a winner of $241,633 lifetime and is trained by Erv Miller for the Tanah Merah Farms LLC of Springfield, Illinois. She was the top freshman pacing filly in Illinois for 2003 and recorded a top mark of 1:52.4 last season at Springfield, when she won 12 of 15 starts for her connections.

Lexus Gram, from post two, is a winner of $100,815 lifetime iwth a two-year-old record of 1:56 that she took at Maywood Park for co-owner and trainer Tom Graham, Jr. He owns the daughter of Armbro Mackintosh in partnership with Shelly Graham. Last year Lexus Gram won five races, wtih eight seconds and a third in 21 starts. She'll be seeking her first win of her sophomore campaign in the Maywood filly elim.

She's The Reason is trained by Tim Pinske for the Pinske Stable, Vernonshire Racing Stable and David Hoese of Minnesota and Illinobis. This roan daughter by Art's Conquesty was lightly raced at two and will be seeking her first win of 2004 and her third career victory in only 12 starts. She will leave from post three.

Sports Ball will start from post four for trainer/co-owner Mark Fransen and owners Lake To Sky Farms LLC. This Sportsmaster filly will be trying to nab her second win of the year in only her third start. She did win in 1:54.1 at Balmoral, however, on May 11 in a conditioned pace.

Jenny's Picnic (post five) and Unspeakable Joy (post six) round out the field. Steve Searle trains Jenny's Picnic for owners Bart Seales (who also bred the Incredible Finale filly) and Shawn Nessa. Perry Smith conditions Unspeakable Joy for owners Mary Langley and Whack The Bush Stable. This Cole Muffler lass will be seeking her second win of 2004 in her fifth trip postward.

The other division (Race Seven-Wednesday) sees Ryan Anderson piloting Thatsherethefunis from the rail, facing foes Free To Fly (Pat Berry), Kan Wheel (Ross Leonard), Kitty Jones (Tony Morgan), Jan’s Julie Too (Andy Miller) and Da Sleazy One (Mike Oosting).

"My filly just loves Maywood Park," Ryan Anderson noted about Thatswherethefunis. "She won a conditioned race (NW3) here first over, and won her first race ever here as a two-year-old, so you know she’ll be very competitive here. She’s a very handy horse and can leave or come from off the pace. Her mom was a top horse (Seaside Rendezvous) that my father raced."

Thatswherethefunis, a daughter of The Big Dog, is owned by Anderson Racing Inc., Thomas Lewandowski & John Leahy of Illinois and Indiana and is conditioned by Joe Anderson. The bay filly has earned $23,434 in only 11 lifetime starts and won on May 17 at Maywood Park in 1:55.2.

Trainer Tom Simmons harnesses Free To Fly from the two-hole for owners W. Beck, R. Desylias, Benita Simmons and J.B. Lowe of Illinois and Colorado. Unraced at two, this daughter of Cole Muffler won her last start in 1:56 at Balmoral on May 30, pacing in 1:56.

Kan Wheel starts from post three for trainer Eric Plowman and owners Thom and Sally Amundson and Jesse De Long of Wisconsin. This Armbro Mackintosh filly has seen the starting gate 22 times in her young life, earning $33,851 and taking a mark of 1:55.2 at DuQuoin as a freshman.

Kitty Jone's leaves from the four-hole for trainer Charles Von Knoblauch and his father/owner Harry Von Knoblauch of Illinois. A winner of $59,175 lifetime, this Sportsmaster lass won five of ten races at two and paced in 1:54.1--her career best record to date.

Jan's Julie Too is a daughter of Tattler's Torpedo who is trained by Erv Miller for owner Harvey Eisman of Michigan. She won four of 11 starts at two and has $52,380 in earnings with a 1:54.4 record taken at Balmoral last year. She will be looking to score her first win of the season in the Maywood Filly Pace elims.

Last, but not least, is Da Sleazy One, who has been assigned the six-hole for trainer Ken Rucker and owner the Engel Stable of Buffalo Grove, Illinois. This Sportsmaster filly will be looking for her first career victory, but despite having never visited the winner's circle, she's amassed $39,606 to date.

The colts will vie on Friday night, June 11 at Maywood, in a pair of six-horse fields. Live Out Loud, ML's Boy and Enemy At The Gate are the expected favorites.

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