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Oosting High on Merry's Evita Chances (08/01/10)Posted Sunday August 1, 2010 By Mike Paradise A pair of state-bred stakes for sophomore trotters will highlight the first day of August racing at Balmoral Park. A full field of 10 fillies will mix it up in the eighth race $44,000 Fox Valley Evita and three races later another 10 of the top ICF colts and geldings will decide the $46,500 Kadabra champion. The Fox Valley Evita looks very competitive because every time you look there’s been a different stakes winner in the division. The two Hanover stakes on July 14 went to Illinois breds Powerful Bella (programmed Sunday at 9-2, Marcus Miller) and Fox Valley Click (8-1, Dale Hiteman) who will start from posts five and nine, respectively Sunday night. On July 7 the division leader Southern Maebelle (Brian Carpenter) took the Sorce Ann stake after she breezed 10 nights earlier(1:57.1) in an ISOBA stake. However she’s dropped two straight since for the Gerald Hansen Stable and is the early 4-1 second choice from post two in Sunday. The Violet Final back in late May was won by Brett Wilfong’s Kf’spictureperfect (6-1, Leroy Miller) who drew a bye into Sunday’s Final only to draw the outside 10-hole for the Final. Last week Fox Valley elimination went to Trenton and Brenda Watson’s hard-charging filly Merry High and her driver Mike Oosting knows he has a quick filly on the lines when they leave from post six as the luke-warm 7-2 morning line favorite with entry-mate St. Louis Holiday (Art Gregory Jr). “Merry High is the fastest filly with the top-end speed of any of them in her division,” Mike stated. “I don’t know if I have the best horse in the race Sunday but I do know I’ve got the fastest. Things just have to work out for us to win it.” Oosting has been driving the High Falls filly from the back-end but that could change at any time. “She’s can leave if I ask her.” continued Mike. “Merry High is a horse that’s very tactical. I’ve chosen so far to race her off the pace. If she gets locked-in she really has a wicked kick at the end of the mile. And the filly can rough it. She’s gutted-out some pretty good miles with me. She’s had to race against aged horses after some races at the fairs on tracks where she got soared up some but they’ve got her back in good shape now “Merry High is a thin, some what of a frail horse but she still shows up every week when I call on her.” Besides Southern Maebelle, Kf’s Pictureperfect, Fox Valley Click and Powerful Bella, the Watson owned entry will also meet Fox Valley Sienna (12-1, Dave Avenatti), Claire’s Rose (6-1, Dave Magee), Fox Valley Ripple (12-1, Del Chupp) and Vapor Girl (20-1, Lavern Hostetler). Rock Hollywood has started his sophomore campaign in Canada and showed at Mohawk he can trot with the big boys. In his Goodtimes elimination on June 16 he was second, one length behind in a 1:54.1 mile and then a week later in the $375,390 championship he took fifth but only 1 and 1/2 lengths back the winner and was timed in 1:53.4 after taking that classy field to a :56.4 first half. A good-looking son of Physic Spirit, Rock Hollywood will be the 8-5 first flash favorite on the Balmoral tote board. The very formable entry of Showmeyourstuff (Marcus Miller) and Leaveitonthetrack (Bob Smolin) open at 4-1 and both drew nicely with posts 2 and 3, respectively. Cardinal champion Showmeyourstuff has over $43,000 on this season’s card while his entry-mate, an IOSBA stake winner in June, has earned over $28,000. Both geldings were bred by Phillips Standardbreds and are jointly owned by Sue Phillips and trainer Jerald Viviani and his wife Donna, all of Charleston, Illinois. The pair will also take on Kadabra winner Muscatine (6-1, Dale Hiteman), Dutch Commander (12-1, Mike Oosting), Somore Set (15-1, Lance Scurlock), Big Bucks (8-1, Casey Leonard), Super Sonic Flash (25-1, Sam Widger), Powerful Speed (5-1, Todd Warren) and American National freshman champ Run And Tell Papa (10-1, Mike Cox). To view Archived Notes and Quotes click here. Balmoral Park Photo Merry High (Mike Oosting) took last week's Fox Valley Evita elimination. County Fair Report Racing at the Coles County Fair at Charleston concluded its fifth day meet of competition Friday with a pair of Illini 2-year-old paces and both went to Mississippi connection . . . Little Miss Henry, trained and owned by Curtis Rice, powered past in the $1,977 filly division with regular driver Terry Skinner, winning by 1 and 1/2 lengths in 1:59 flat over Paris Place, her second straight fair circuit victory. Earlier she took the Juxtapositon and Mi Metallica stakes at Maywood . . . Fox Valley Stand, driven by Freddie Patton Jr., was a romping 8 and 1/2 length winner in 2:02.2 in the $1,787 colt division for trainer by William Jones and owner Charles Arthur . . . Two of the six Topline events on the card went to IHHA Executive Board members. Randall Denham’s Tinkers Damn dominated division fir mares three and up with a 10-plus romp in 1:58.4 for driver and trainer Mike Knicley and the Fairley’s Judson Director followed with a quick 1:56.4 mile in the male division for driver and conditioner Clark Fairly, two-plus lengths ahead of Larry’s Place (Jamaica Patton), another Fairley trainee.. COLES COUNTY FAIR AT CHARLESTON Friday, July 30 Results FIRST: Topline Two-Year-Old Pace, Purse $2,500: SECOND: Topline Two-Year-Old Trot, Purse $2,500: THIRD: Topline Three-Year-Old & Up Mare Pace, Purse $1,500: FOURTH: Topline Three-Year-Old & Up Colt Pace, Purse $1,500: FIFTH: Topline Three-Year-Old & Up Mare Trot, Purse $1,500: SIXTH: Topline Three-Year-Old & Up Mare Trot, Purse $1,500: SEVENTH: Illini 2-Year-Old Filly Pace, Purse $1,977: EIGHTH: Illini 2-Year-Old Colt Pace, Purse $1,977:
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 Notes and Quotes
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