Some of Illinois' finest two and three-year-old pacers will be in action in what promises to be a very busy weekend of stakes action at both Maywood Park and Balmoral Park.

The action will kick off on Thursday, October 14, as a field of eight state-bred three-year-old pacing fillies will meet in a $17,450 Illinois Standardbred Owners & Breeders Association Stakes event which goes as race nine on Thursday’s 11-race program.

This test would appear to be showdown between the John Butenschoen-trained Fox Valley Oracle and a pair of Erv Miller-trained fillies in Cotton Candy and Rolldownthehiway. Fox Valley Oracle comes into the race as a bit of a question mark because of missing nearly a month after her second place finish in the $171,000 Grandma Ann on Super Night. The daughter of Sportsmaster has one win in 15 starts this year.

Cotton Candy was unraced during her two-year-old season, but she has made up for lost time with a big three-year-old season which includes a victory in the Filly Maywood Pace earlier in the year. The daughter of Sportsmaster has been on the board in 13 of 17 starts in what has been her first season of action.

Rolldownthehiway continues to be a money maker for her connections, as she has hit the board in 28 of 34 career starts. The daughter of Cole Muffler has two victories this season, but they have come in her last three starts, one of which was the Time Dancer Stakes in DuQuoin where she took a new life mark of 1:51.1.

Sophomore pacing colts will highlight the action on Friday, October 15 at Maywood Park, as Power Of A Moment will lead a field of eight state-breds to the gate for the ninth race, a $16,700 ISOBA Stakes event.

The Cole Muffler gelding will be shipping back to the local scene for the start after having won the $35,000 Circle City Stakes at Indiana Downs in 1:53.4 in his most recent outing. At the top of the state-bred ranks in both of his first two seasons on the track, the Erv Miller trainee has 17 wins, six seconds and four thirds in 29 lifetime starts.

The action will shift to Balmoral Park on Saturday, October 16, as two $23,180 divisions of the Sarah Myers Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts share top billing. The two splits will go as the fifth and 11th races on the 14-race card which will get underway at 7:10 p.m. (central).

In the opening split, which will go as Race 5, the late-blooming Fox Valley Griffin is the 3-1 morning line favourite in what appears to be a very wide open race. The John Butenschoen-trained son of Sportsmaster has been first or second in six of his 10 career starts, including a victory in an Orange & Blue elimination at Balmoral Park.

The second split will feature division leader Hes So Hot, who hails from the barn of Beecher, Illinois resident Roger Welch. The gelded son of Sportsmaster is fresh off a convincing score in the Cardinal Stakes at Maywood Park. He will be coming into the Saturday affair sporting a record of seven wins and one third in 10 starts.

The ladies will be in action on Sunday, October 17, as a total of 15 three-year-old pacing fillies will be contesting a pair of $22,265 divisions of the Sarah Myers Stakes, which have been carded as Races 9 and 11 on the program.

In the first division, the match up between the Erv Miller-trained Mystical MJ and the Curtis Rice-owned and trained Little Miss Henry should be a good one.

Mystical MJ has been on the board in 10 of 11 lifetime starts. The daughter of Sportsmaster captured a division of the Directors Award Stakes in DuQuoin this summer, where she recorded her lifetime best of 1:54.1.

Although campaigned primarily on the fair circuit to start her career, Little Miss Henry has more than held her own on the big stage. She won a Violet Stakes elimination two starts back before finishing a tough-luck fourth in the final. The daughter of Henry Clay has been on the board in 17 of 19 lifetime starts.

The second division figures to be a showdown once again between Filly Orange & Blue winner Fox Valley Touche and Violet Stakes winner Pardon.

Fox Valley Touche has really come on strong in the latter half of her freshman season, as she swept her Filly Orange & Blue division and just missed victory the Violet Stakes. She currently sports a record of five wins, two seconds and two thirds.

The Dirk Simpson-trained Pardon has been the division leader all season long. The only loss in her illustrious career came in the Filly Orange & Blue on Super Night. The daughter of Richess Hanover is now 11 for 12 in her career and holds a mark of 1:52.3 which was taken in the State Fair Stakes Final in Springfield.

First-race post time for the opener on Sunday is 6:30 p.m. (central).

(Balmoral/Maywood)