by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park

MELROSE PARK, IL—James Rowney’s Lou Annie, as expected, was much the best in Wednesday night’s $10,250 conditioned pace at Maywood Park, winning under a firm hold from Hall of Fame driver Dave Magee with a 1:56.2 clocking on a very sloppy racing surface pelted by heavy rains.

Sent off at 3-10 odds, Lou Annie ($2.60) had to work for the lead, racing three-deep in the first turn, but once she cleared to the front, the fifth race feature was over.

Maywood Park photo

Driver Dave Magee had Lou Annie under a tight hold as the the overwhelming 3-10 favorite crossed the finish line in Maywood Park’s Wednesday night feature on a rain soaked racing surface.

After a :28.2 first panel, Magee had a good grip on the six-year-old state bred mare through a pair of :29.4 middle quarters. Dave had his whip tucked under his right arm down the stretch and Lou Annie still posted a three and one-half length.

Charisse N (Dale Hiteman) rallied from fifth, and last in the small field, to be second best. CJR Bogert (Pat Wolf) took third, another length behind.

The victory was Lou Annie’s 27th in a career that has seen her bank $349,913 for her Marseilles, IL owner and trainer. The mare missed the last three months of 2004 with a front tendon ankle problem before finishing second last Friday (January 7) against “the boys,” in a needed start.

“Lou Annie was just very aggressive tonight,” Jim Rowney said. “Since I brought her back from her time off, she’s been very hot behind the gate, and she definitely needs the mini-bit that I put in her mouth.”

Lou Annie wears a Kant-See-Back bridle with simple driving bits and the mini-bit, When the mare races at Maywood Park Rowney adds a loose burr head pole on the inside (left).

“She needs the head pole when she races over here, and you can see that she still turns her head a little bit,” Rowney explained. “On the bigger track she doesn’t need it. But over here, she’s so wound up and wants to just pace so fast that we put it on for a bit of added protection.”

Lou Annie wears no boots and is a big, rangy mare with an impressive, intelligent head and athletic build. Rowney gave her only a light few jogging miles this past week.

“Since we got right back in so quickly, I jogged her only three times behind my starting gate, not hooked the jog cart,” Rowney said. “It was too muddy all week for her to get anytime out in the paddock, as I’m always concerned about re-injuring her tendon.”