by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park

Melrose Park, IL — Customize started off his three-year-old campaign the same way he ended his freshman season. The overwhelming 1-2 favorite drew off to a dominating victory with regular driver Dave Magee in Monday night’s $10,000 Iggy Magoo stake for state-bred sophomore trotters at Maywood Park.

The Dirk Simpson trained gelding sported a flashy first season record of seven wins and nine seconds in 16 starts, including a easy triumph in an Illinois Owners and Breeders Association stake on November 9 in his final juvenile start.

Maywood Park Photo

Customize and driver Dave Magee were all alone at the finish of Maywood Park’s $10,000 Iggy Magoo Stake for state-bred three-year-old trotters.

In his sophomore bow Customize ($3.00) was saddled with the 10 hole, which put him in the second tier behind the 2-1 second betting choice Good And Plenty in Maywood Park’s featured seventh race. Magee took Customize back at the start and patiently waited for the field to settle in before taking the promising ICF trotter out of last and into fifth place after the first turn.

Van Mo (George Conley) led the field to a :30 flat first quarter before Tim Tetrick had Good And Plentiful out of third and after the leader. However, the filly went off stride and eliminated herself. Magee then asked Customize to get on the move and the Wilson Wyoming offspring surged after Van Mo and cleared just after the 1:02 half.

Customize trotted a :30 third quarter and followed with a :29 flat final panel against a stiff 15 per mile headwind, dashing off to a convincing seven and one-quarter length victory at the end of his 2:01 mile. Van Mo was clearly second best, finishing three and one-quarter lengths ahead of the third place horse Crimson King.

“This horse was never really challenged,” Magee said after the race. “Obviously, he’s a much more mature horse now than he was before, but he’s always been a very fluid-going horse. I had wanted to get away clean at the gate — that was my first priority — and then I just sat until the half and when I pulled, the colt took off on his own — I never even pulled the ear plugs — that’s how eager he was to go on.”

Owned by Bart Cavanagh, Sr. of Media, Pennsylvania, Customize earned $139,220 in his freshman season and took his mark of 1:58² at the Du Quoin State Fair.