by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park

Melrose Park, IL — 12 state-bred three-year-old pacing fillies passed the entry box for Wednesday night’s Illinois Standardbred Owners and Breeders Association Stake at Maywood Park, necessitating a split of two divisions, each worth $12,780.

The likely public’s choice in the first division is the 9-5 morning line favorite Unspeakable Joy, trained by Perry Smith, who also co-owns the Cole Muffler filly with Mary Langley and Whack The Bush Stable, a $24,000 purchase at the 2002 Cottonwood Farm Yearling Sale.

Unspeakable Joy is out of the Niatross dam Ballerina Girl, who also produced the successful ICF horses Untamed Heart (1:55, $187,018) and Broadway Spirit (1:51², $444,786). Hall of Fame driver Dave Magee will be at her lines for the first time in a pari-mutuel race.

Unspeakable Joy made 10 starts in her juvenile campaign and won twice — a season’s best 1:54¹ clicking in a Balmoral state-bred stake and a 1:55³ mile in her State Fair Stake elimination at Springfield.

Kan Wheel (5-2, Tim Tetrick), Devils Desire (10-1, Tony Morgan), Rebid (8-1, Andy Miller), Tangible’s Finale (6-1, Lance Scurlock) and Art’s Investment (7-2, Brent Holland) will provide the fifth race opposition.

Tangible’s Finale banked $37,649 in her first season for Manteno, Illinois owners Jacqueline and Jewel Brown, the highest 2003 earnings among the first division starters.

Kan Wheel, Wisconsin owned by Thomas and Sally Amundsen and Jesse De Long, is a full sister to Kan Commune (1:55) and comes off a pair of encouraging third place finishes at Balmoral for trainer Eric Plowman.

Art’s Investment, owned by Robin Yoder and Mike Abbiss, comes off a convincing 1:56⁴ win on the Crete, Illinois mile oval for trainer Chad Yoder. This Art’s Conquest sophomore is out of the dam Wise Investment, which makes her a half sister to the long-time Illinois-bred star pacer Move Itt.

Apple Betty (Dale Hiteman), who took her freshman season’s mark of 1:56 on this oval in her Violet Stake elimination, will be the 9-5 first-flash favorite in the second division. The Armbro Mackintosh filly was a three-time winner as a freshman for the Joe Seekman Stable and her dam D’s Little Shooter also gave us Chicago circuit campaigners Slap Shooter (1:54³) and Apple Shooter (1:53³).

Fridaythethrteenth (5-2, Ron Marsh), Thermopylae (3-1, Tim Tetrick), Broadway Karen (6-1, Tony Morgan), Conquestable (8-1, Brent Holland) and Nasti Nicki (15-1, Del Chupp) will test Apple Shooter in her second season’s debut.

Fridaythethrteenth and Thermopylae have visited this track’s winner’s circle this season. Fridaythethrteenth was a 1:58³ winner here in mid-March for trainer Jim Meade, who co-owns the filly with George Bonomo, while Thermopylae posted a 1:58 flat mile in early January for Tripoli Stable and trainer Joel Smith.

Both are homebreds whose siblings could be familiar with Windy City circuit followers. Fridaythethrteenth’s dam Truly Timeless also produced Stole Withatwist (1:53³) and Tia Wanna (1:53³), while Meliphanie, the dam of Thermopylae also sent out Pythagoras (1:56³) and Democritus (1:56¹).