Friday’s Desperate Lady Stake at Maywood Park provided plenty of fireworks as a field of nine state-bred three-year-olds were sent postward
. When the smoke cleared the winner of the race Cole Blue (Robert Smolin) was disqualified for racing wide and then dropping back to the inside which impeded the pocket sitting Fox Valley Naomi (Brian Carpenter) at the three-quarter-mile mark. That violation resulted in longshots Delta Dawson and Makena Cat, who had finished second in a dead-heat, being moved up to share the top honours in the $14,000 event.
With the race being contested over a sloppy track several of the fillies made miscues leaving the gate in the first turn to add to the confusion in the race.
That allowed a hard leaving Cole Blue to easily grab command from post position four while Fox Valley Naomi settled into the garden spot. Second tier starter Makena Cat (Dale Hiteman) came away third as the field moved by an opening quarter in :30-seconds.
Heading for the half-mile mark Cole Blue was still in command but was now facing pressure from a first over Makena Cat, who was in turn towing up a second over Delta Dawson (Mike Oosting) as the field splashed by the halfway mark in 1:00.1.
On the backside for the final time Cole Blue began to drift from the pylons a bit causing confusion for the pocket-sitting Fox Valley Naomi. Makena Cat’s first over bid appeared to be stalling on the outside, causing Oosting to tip Delta Dawson three-wide as the field reached the three-quarter-mile mark in 1:29.2.
Moving his charge back down to the pylons Smolin had Cole Blue back on course as the field moved around the final turn and through the lane. Despite never being seriously challenged the rest of the way, the pair had drawn the wrath of the judges forcing a disqualification from first to fourth. A very game Makena Cat and the hard charging Delta Dawson, who were 17-1 and 21-1 respectively, hit the wire on even terms in second but were moved up to the top spot because of the disqualification while Fox Valley Naomi was moved from fourth to third.
Delta Dawson returned $22.20, $10.80 and $10.20 while Makena Cat returned $18.80, $10.00 and $9.00 while combining for a $218.20 exacta.
(Maywood Park)