In what looked a re-run of last week’s elimination tussle, Peggy Hood and Mystical Marker Farms' Cotton Candy sped right to the front and made every call a winning in 1:55.1 over a sloppy track to take Friday’s $100,000 Filly Maywood Pace at Maywood Park
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Fresh off that elimination win, driver Dave Magee hustled the daughter of Sportsmaster-Juxtaposition away from post position four and made his way to the front as the fillies moved by an opening quarter in :28.2.
“I wasn’t dead set on having to get to the front tonight,” explained Magee. “I wanted to see what Fox Valley Oracle and Rev Me Up were going to do. Once I saw that Marcus [Miller] was going to protect his inside starting position from those two that’s when I decided to loop him and go to the front.”
With her stablemate Rolldownthehiway now sitting in the pocket just as she did the previous week, Cotton Candy proceeded to splash her way to the half-mile mark in :58.
Heading into the turn, Cotton Candy was then forced to fend off a big first over bid from Fox Valley Oracle (Dean Magee), who came storming up on the outside. With less than a length separating the top two, the field marched by the three-quarter-mile mark in 1:26.2.
Around the final bend, the tough first over journey finally started to take its toll on Fox Valley Oracle. After putting away that rival, Cotton Candy then had to brace for the challenge of the pocket-sitting Rolldownthehiway.
Holding firm through the stretch, Cotton Candy kept her stablemate at bay as she reported home with a long neck victory. Rolldownthehiway finished second giving trainer Ervin Miller a 1-2 finish while Rev Me Up (Mike Oosting) rallied to finish third.
“She was very comfortable out there once again tonight,” said Magee after the victory. “In fact she was almost too comfortable. She had to go in for a shoe repair, which took about five minutes and when I brought her back to the track she was a bit lackadaisical. She’s a hard trying filly though and once we got down to it she was all business.”
The win was the fourth in eight starts this year for Cotton Candy, who now boasts career earnings of $64,088. Sent off as the second choice in the wagering she returned $6.40, $3.80 and $2.60.
Sophomore pacing colts were also in action on Friday night as a field of eight state-breds were sent postward in a $10,000 Maywood Pace elimination. The top five finishers in Friday’s event will meet up with Delco Willobee, Fox Valley Escort and Southern Sport in next Friday’s (June 25th) $100,000 final.
There wasn’t much drama in this test as the John Butenschoen-trained Indescribable teamed up with driver Dean Magee to record a 2-1/4 length wire to wire victory in 1:53.2.
Rolling through splits of :28.1, :56.4 and 1:25.3, the gelded son of Cole Muffler-Glorious Future was never seriously threatened as he posted his second win in 10 starts this year. Voomerang (Mike Oosting) turned in a solid effort from the eight-hole to finish second while JHS (Mike Rogers) was third. Also gaining spots in the final were Parker Place (Travis Seekman) and Buzzd On Sudzz (Dale Hiteman).
(Maywood Park)