by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park

Melrose Park, IL — No one correctly selected Maywood Park’s Pick Five last Friday and there is an $8,360 carryover into the Thursday, April 19 program, where the estimated Pick Five pool is $20,000.

There is also a carryover for the Pick Four, which will have an estimated $9,000 pool.

The Pick Four starts nightly on race four at Maywood Park, while the Pick Five wager begins with the eighth race.

First filly stake split into two divisions

The first Maywood Park stake race of the season is Friday’s Desperate Lady for second season state-bred pacing fillies. 13 horses were entered, necessitating two divisions, each with a $15,000 purse.

Heading up the third race first split is Stan Miller’s Orgami Rose, the Orange and Blue and Incredible Tillie stakes champion as a freshman.

The seventh race second division lured Faith Leigh, winner of the recent $67,000 Jersey Girls Final at The Meadowlands. The daughter of Incredible Finale also won seven races in her first season, including a division of the First Lady stake at Du Quoin.

Impressive Shark in Balmoral Qualifier

Last year’s 3-year-old Breeders Crown champion Shark Gesture drew off by almost 20 lengths in his 1:53.3 qualifier at Balmoral Park on Friday, April 13. Driver Brent Holland took him to the front end of a :27.4 first quarter, backed the sophomore pacer off to slow middle quarters of :29 flat (:56.4 half) and :30.3, and the Erv Miller trainee responded with a sizzling :26.1 last panel, going from a 3-1/2 length lead over Team Hutch at the three-quarter pole to a 19-3/4 length victory over the former Illinois bred stakes champion.

“He was much sharper than when I qualified him in Florida earlier in the month,” said Holland.

Before heading to the April 28 Dan Patch stake at Hoosier Park, Shark Gesture will start in a Free For All this Saturday at Balmoral Park.

Home Bed Advantage has miscue

The 2006 ICF freshman colt pacer of the year Home Bed Advantage made a small break in his Friday, April 13 qualifier and will re-qualify this week, says his trainer Dave McCaffrey, before shipping out to New Jersey for the Berry’s Creek.

Other significant winning qualifiers from April 13 at Balmoral included Free’s 1:56 mile (:27.2 last quarter). She is getting ready for her 4-year-debut after a sophomore campaign that saw her win a slew of ICF stakes including the Maywood Pace, Time Dancer (Du Quoin), and Hawthorne’s World Series and Plum Peach for trainer Stan Miller.

Homer Hochstetler’s Vapor Maker, the Cardinal (Balmoral), Sarah Myers (Balmoral) and Darn Safe (Du Quoin) Illinois stakes champion as a freshman trotter, looks well prepared for his 3-year-old debut. He was a winner in a 2:01.1 qualifier.

Brent Holland qualified the Western Ideal filly Ideal Sunrise, who came home in a snappy :26.4. Unraced at 2, trainer Erv Miller bought her for $80,000 at a Lexington, Ky. yearling sale.