Maywood Park

Contact: Tom Kelley
(708) 672-1414

VIOLET AND CARDINAL STAKE ELIMS FRIDAY NIGHT

Illinois top two-year-old pacers of both sexes will be on display on Friday, Oct. 2 as eliminations for the Violet and Cardinal Stake are contested. With a total of 15 fillies entered, a pair of $7,500 eliminations will be contested (races 2 and 4) with the top four finishers in each split moving on to next week’s $56,550 final. A field of eight colts will battle for four starting spots in the Cardinal which goes as race seven. The top four finishers will join Power Of A Moment, Voomerang, Indescribable and Fitz’z Z Tam in next week’s $52,650 final.

Fox Valley Angie

In the first Violet Stake elimination, Stretch It Again Stables Fox Valley Angie has been accorded the morning line favoritism off the strength of her third place finish in the $250,000 Filly Orange & Blue at Balmoral Park. The daughter of Sportsmaster-Assailed missed by just a head in her elimination before winding up a fast closing third in the rich final. The John Butenschoen trainee now sports a record of 3-2-3 in 10 career starts with earnings of more than $56,000.

Others who merit strong consideration in here include Thrifty Way Stakes winners Fox Valley Naomi and Rolldownthehiway, and runner-up Makena Cat.

In the second division another Butenschoen trained miss – Fox Valley Oracle, the Orange & Blue winner – has been installed as the 9-5 morning line favorite. The good-looking daughter of Sportsmaster-Our Golden Promise came flying through the lane to win the year’s richest race for state-breds on Super Night as she stopped the clock in 1:54.1. Boasting a record of two wins, five seconds, and two thirds in 11 starts, Fox Valley Oracle has banked over $161,000 for the Stretch It Again Stable.

Others who figure to garner plenty of attention in this battle are Orange & Blue elimination winner Nice Big Star, State Fair & First Lady Stake champion The Assassinator, and State Fair Stake consolation winner Miss Kellie.

Curb Your Z Tam

The Cardinal Stake elimination looks to be a wide-open affair with the top four performers in the division getting the chance to return to next week’s final.

In this match-up the Tom Simmons trained Burnthemidnightoil, who finished second in the State Fair Stake consolation, could be tough to stop from his inside starting spot. Others who figure to grab a fair share of the betting action include Apache Renegade, who finished a tough luck fourth in the Orange & Blue Final, Governor’s Cup elimination winner Curb Your Z Tam and Yates Eagle Stake winner Fox Valley Barbosa.