by Tom Kelley, publicity director, Maywood Park

Melrose Park, IL — The first of Maywood Park’s signature events takes place on Friday (June 17) as a field of nine Illinois conceived and foaled 3-year-old pacing fillies will be on display in the $101,000 Filly Maywood Pace.

Carded as race nine on a busy 14-race program, which also includes three eliminations for next Friday’s $131,000 Maywood Pace for the colts, this test is headlined by Paula Smith and James Runyan’s Fox Valley Touche who comes into the race sporting a perfect three-for- three record in 2011.

Installed as the even-money favorite in the morning line, Fox Valley Touche received a bye into the final of this race so her connections opted to use a nice, easy qualifying effort at Balmoral Park on June 8 in an attempt to keep their prize filly sharp.

The bay daughter of Sportsmaster-Thongundercolrsoops’ perfect season thus far includes a victory over last year’s Illinois Horse of the Year Pardon in the $30,600 Violet Stake Final at Balmoral in her last start. Prior to that the Joel Smith trained miss annexed a Violet elimination and the Desperate Lady Stake here at Maywood Park. Sporting a career record of 8-4-4 in 19 starts with earnings of $182,650, Fox Valley Touche will have the services of veteran reinsman Dale Hiteman when she starts from post position two.

Patrick Quaid’s Little Maeve posted an impressive wire-to-wire victory in the elimination for this stake last week and she is the 4-1 second choice in the morning line as she looks to make it two in a row.

The Roger Welch trained daughter of Ideal Towne-R N Labelle made it look easy in that win as she took them from pillar to post in 1:56 to open her 2011 account. A six-time career winner, Little Maeve has earnings of more than $53,000 and she will be handled by Ridge Warren while leaving from post position six.

Rounding out the field from the pylons out are Cuzimademymindup (Dean Magee, 8-1), Nina Coleada (Casey Leonard, 12-1), Shake That Thing (Mike Cox, 20-1), Elisa’s Model (Brian Carpenter, 30-1), Let’s Go Higher (John De Long, 15-1) and Mystical M J (Marcus Miller, 5-1).

A total of 17 sophomore pacing colts were dropped into the box for the Maywood Pace so there will be three $10,000 elimination battles with the top two finishers in each race and two third place finishers (drawn by lot) moving on to the rich final next week.

Carded as races three, five and 11, these fields feature the likes of A Cool Card, who is five for six in his career for trainer Erv Miller; AJ Get’s The Money, who won the Taser Gun Stake here at Maywood on April 29; Fox Valley Griffin, the winner of the Gosox Stake here at Maywood on May 20; and Rockin Rumble, the winner of the Oakbrook OTB Stake at Balmoral Park on May 7.