by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park

Melrose Park, IL — Loyal Opposition, the richest Illinois bred mare ever with nearly $1.4 million in earnings, looks to defend her Maywood Park distaff crown in Wednesday night’s $16,500 Open Handicap Pace for fillies and mares.

Loyal Opposition, a four-year-old daughter of Cole Muffler, has been handicapped with the outside six post. The 9-5 morning line favorite has a “new face” starting to her left. She’s Stormies Gal (2-1, Dave Magee), who is making her Maywood Park debut after a very successful ($69,030) first four months of racing on the east coast for trainer Darby Miller.

Stormies Gal left Chicago with a string of five consecutive victories — the last three for current owners J M L Stables (FL) and Three Ring Circus Stable (NY) — and extended her winning streak to eight in a row with triumphs in her first three races at the Meadowlands.

Stormies Gal hasn’t started since April 23. The four-year-old mare was scheduled to race in a May 14 Hoosier Park Open but came up sick and was scratched. However, she showed a readiness for this start with an eye-opening 1:55³ qualifier (:55⁴ last half) on May 19 at Balmoral Park. She has been assigned post five for Wednesday night.

Providing the ninth race opposition is Kennan’s Mama (8-1, Del Chupp), Lou Annie (3-1, Ryan Anderson), River Mel (12-1, Mike Oosting) and Fox Valley Ladydoc (8-1, Ron Marsh).

Lou Annie is making her first Maywood Park season outing for owner and trainer James Rowney. The five-year-old speedball won two of five races here last year, after a very flourishing sophomore campaign ($192,271) that saw her capture the $100,000 Maywood Filly Pace and take second in our $85,000 Cinderella.

Fox Valley Ladydoc races here for the first time since her game runner-up finish in last year’s $100,000 Cinderella, when she came up only a neck short of Odds On Dana’s winning 1:53 mile. Leased and trained by Angie Affrunti, the Sportsmaster mare was also second in the 2003 Maywood Filly Pace, beaten less than one length by Loyal Opposition.

Daniel Waxman’s Loyal Opposition passed Ohyouprettything ($1,279,368) as Illinois’ richest mare when she won our May 5 Open Pace, defeating Cinder Best for a second straight time. However, last Thursday (May 20), she dead-heated for second with Parklane Powerful, beaten two and one-half lengths by her circuit rival, Cinder Best, who paced a very impressive 1:50 flat mile.

“That was a big mile for Loyal Opposition last week,” said driver Andy Miller. “She just got beat. Cinder Best was awful tough. My mare had a week off in between starts too, so I don’t think she was quite as sharp as she usually is. But Cinder Best was still awful tough.”

Both Kennan’s Mama and River Mel are double race winners this season on the Chicago circuit’s half-mile oval.