by Mike Paradise, director of publicity, Maywood Park

MELROSE PARK, IL—He’s back and even his long-time driver is excited to see him return. “Taser Gun is one of my favorite horses,” said Andy Miller when he learned the venerable state-bred star pacer is making his season debut Friday night at the age of nine. “I’m really glad to see that he’s back—it’s always a thrill to drive him.”

Maywood Park photo.

Taser Gun and Andy Miller.

After five months of R and R Taser Gun takes on five other very solid pacers in the $13,100 ninth conditioned pace co-feature. Despite drawing the outside six-post Taser Gun is in his familiar favorite role as the 9-5-morning line champion for his proud Medora, Illinois owners Cunningham Racing Inc.

“ Every time he gets good, it is just so exciting,” continued his 35-year-old driver. “I was supposed to qualify him, but I had been on vacation in Las Vegas and my plane was delayed and I wasn’t able to make it back in time for the qualifier, so I was a bit disappointed.”

Taser Gun smoked to a 1:54.3 mile in his March 17 Maywood Park qualifier in his familiar front stepping style with driver Shawn Christner, showing his readiness for Friday night’s conditioned pace for horses without $12,500 earned in their last five starts.

Taking on the Illinois bred star is (from the one-post out): Zacs Rocker (3-1, Tony Morgan), Bar Ron Boy A (5-2, Dale Hiteman), Thank Me Later (10-1, Dave Magee), Papa Deck (6-1, Mike Oosting) and Dashing Diplomat (8-1, Gary Rath).

A third place or higher finish will put Taser Gun over the $900,000 mark in career earnings. The gelding has won 44 of 111 lifetime starts and boasts a sparkling Maywood Park record of 26 victories in 38 outings, a 68 per cent winning clip.

“ Bob (trainer) Walker has done a terrific job of keeping this horse fresh; of stopping with him when he needs a rest; and of keeping him sound. He never pushes the horse un-necessarily,” added Andy, a native of Mattoon, Illinois.”

A price shot to consider in the ninth race co-feature is Thank Me Later, reunited tonight with hall of fame driver Dave Magee, who guided the 4-year-old Michigan bred to a lifetime best 1:52.2 mile here in mid-February.

“This is a very big horse who is very good gaited,” Magee said after that race. “He’s fairly quick for his size and is handy enough that as a driver you are able to establish good position with him early on in the race. This horse is still fairly green.”

“Thank You Later broke a track record over a Michigan fair oval that had stood for 80 years and is a really great half-mile horse,” said owner Dave Koziol, one of four partners (of Butternut Farms) on the Keystone Raider gelding.

“We bought him at a yearling sale for $12,500 and that has proved to be quite a bargain. We came up with the name for the farm because most of my family comes from Butternut, Wisconsin…but now all of the owners live in Chicago and the horse is trained by a Michigan-based trainer (Merie La Fountaine), so we are kind of a multi-state operation.”

The co-featured $14,900 third race for $40,000 to $50,000 claiming horses looks like another toss-up with 5 of the 6 horses who slugged it out in this event last week back in the mix again.

The March 26 winner Berley (5-2, Ryan Anderson) would love to see another torrid rally duel (:26.2 first quarter) by others. The gray 7-year-old has won 2 of 3 starts since being acquired by the Brian Calvert Stable. He’ll have to overtake Shiraz Matazz N (2-1), Costly Cadet (5-1), Hogies Cam (8-1), Roland John N (8-1) and Missile Mike (7-2), who has the circuit’s leading driver Tony Morgan for the first time.

Joining the circuit’s highest level claiming event Friday night is Costly Cadet, who put together back-to-back 1:52.1 Balmoral Park wins after he was claimed for $20,000 by trainer Homer Hochstetler for Wooddale, Illinois owners Open Outcry and No Cry Harness.