Maywood Park

Contact: Tom Kelley
(708) 672-1414

TROTTERS FEATURED ON THURSDAY AT MAYWOOD

Southern Maebelle is shown here taking the Lady Ann Reed on Super Night at Balmoral Park.

Fans of Maywood Park will get a rare glimpse of the Illinois conceived and foaled sophomore trotting set on Thursday night as a field of eight three-year-old diagonally gaited fillies square off in the featured $11,800 Speed N The Tunnel Stake, which has been carded as race seven on the 11-race program.

Powers Farms LLC’s Southern Maebelle has been red hot of late and the daughter of High Falls has been accorded the 2-1 morning line favoritism despite having to overcome post position eight.

The Gerald Hansen trainee is fresh off back-to-back scores in the $100,000 Lady Ann Reed and a $15,470 ISOBA Stake, which have helped push her seasonal bankroll up to nearly $80,000 after a slow start to her second season. One of the top trotters among her peers in both seasons of racing, Southern Maebelle boasts nine wins, six seconds and five thirds in 27 lifetime starts with career earnings of $206,254. Her career mark of 1:55.4 was taken in her most recent ISOBA score at Balmoral as well. Brian Carpenter is scheduled to handle the driving duties once again.

Trainer Joel Smith will send out Fox Valley Click in this test and the daughter of Vaporize will be looking to turn the tables on Southern Maebelle after finishing as the bridesmaid in their last two encounters. The winner of this year’s $20,000 Windy Skeeter Stake at DuQuoin is enjoying a fine second season on the track after a light freshman campaign, posting three wins, four seconds and two thirds with more than $66,000 in earnings this year for Paula Smith and James Runyan. Nearing $100,000 in career earnings, Fox Valley Click will have the services of driver Dale Hiteman – who is zeroing in on 8,000 career victories – and the pair will start from the inside post tonight.

Rounding out the field for Thursday’s main event are the Trenton and Brenda Watson-owned entry of Merry High and St. Louis Holiday, both of whom have stakes victories to their credit this season; Powerful Bella, the winner of this year’s $35,000 State Fair Stake championship in Springfield; Fox Valley Ripple, who captured a Lady Ann Reed elimination in September; Fox Valley Genuine, who comes into this battle off back-to-back scores at Balmoral Park; and Miss Tegan, who has numerous County Fair stakes wins to her credit this season.