by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park
MELROSE PARK, IL—Aries Conquest, last season’s Illinois bred Two-Year-Old Illinois Pacing Filly Of The Year, makes her first Maywood Park start Wednesday night since her world record clocking in last October’s Violet stake final.
Aries Conquest would be the favorite no matter where she drew in the ninth race, the second of a pair of six-horse elimination races for the upcoming $100,000 (est.) Maywood Filly Pace. As it turns out the daughter of Art’s Conquest will open as the overwhelming 3-5 choice because she landed the advantageous one-post against her three-year-old distaff ICF rivals.
“She should be tough to beat in this race with the rail,” said Aries Conquest driver Andy Miller with a smile.
Aries Conquest was nipped in the final stride in the May 29 Violet Stake at Balmoral Park by longshot Filly Finale in 1:52.2 but Andy was very pleased with his filly’s effort. “She raced tremendously in her last start,” said Andy. “She’s perfect to drive and is good on any size track, and never gives you a poor effort.”
Among her 12 victories in 15 first season starts was Aries Conquest’s 1:54.1 record clocking, the fastest ever for a freshmen filly on a half-mile track for trainer Erv Miller and owner Tanah Merah Farms of Springfield, Illinois.
One of Aries Conquest three losses last season came from Lexus Gram (5-2, Dave Magee), who will start to the left of her rival in Wednesday’s ninth race. The Tom Graham Jr. filly took her mark of 1:56 on this track when she beat Aries Conquest in a Violet elimination.
Also looking for a starting berth in the June 18 Maywood Filly Pace Final is She’s The Reason (6-1, Eric Ledford), Sports Ball (20-1, Tony Morgan), Jenny’s Picnic (15-1, Mike Oosting) and Unspeakable Joy (10-1, Ryan Anderson).
The first division elimination favorites are Kitty Jone’s (9-5, Tony Morgan), Thatswherethefunis (2-1, Ryan Anderson) and Jan’s Julie Too (5-2, Andy Miller), another Erv Miller trained filly.
“Jan’s Julie Too is not as easy to drive as Aries Conquest,” said Andy Miller. “She’s not as handy and you can’t leave with her 100 miles an hour the way you can with the other filly. She likes to have a trip and is not the type of horse that you can rush into doing anything.”
Kitty Jone’s also dealt Aries Conquest one of her rare first season losses, getting the best of her in their Orange and Blue elimination (1:55.1). The Harry Von Knoblauch filly won half of her 2-year-old starts (5-for-10), including a 1:58.4 Maywood Park victory despite leaving from the eight-hole.
Thatswherethefunis gets her first season outing from an inside post (one) tonight for the Joe Anderson Stable and The Big Dog offspring had her fastest juvenile mile (1:57.2) and her quickest (1:55.2) thus far as a sophomore both on the circuit’s half-mile oval.
“My filly just loves Maywood Park,” noted Ryan Anderson noted. “She won a conditioned race here (last month) racing first over, and won her first race ever here as a two-year-old, so you know she’ll be very competitive here. She’s a very handy horse and can leave or come from off the pace. Her mom was a top horse (Seaside Rendezvous) that my father raced.”
Also looking for a fourth place or better finish to land a stake final berth is Free To Fly (8-1, Pat Berry), Kan Wheel (12-1, Ross Leonard) and Da Sleazy One (15-1, Mike Oosting).
Eliminations for the $100,000 (est.) Maywood Pace Final for second season state-bred colts and geldings will be raced on this Friday night’s card, along with the circuit’s $16,500 ICF Open Pace.