Dandy Farm’s Firstclassallthway will likely be the odds-on harness racing favorite to pick-up his 40th career victory and the 8-year-old’s 11th at Maywood Park in Friday’s ninth race conditioned pace feature.
The 8-year-old gelding is listed as the 8-5 morning line choice with Mike Oosting in the bike against five other pacers—Cuatro Cinco (programmed odds of 12-1), At Max Speed, (8-1) Gypsy Leather (10-1), Montero Blue Chip (5-2) and Desperado Alibi (3-1).
Firstclassallthway owns a half-dozen lifetime triumphs in Balmoral Park Invite’s.
Earlier this year Firstclassallthway won back-to-back “Winner’s Over” on the Crete, IL big track in 1:51.3 and 1:50.3, over the likes of Iam Bonasera, Fort Silky and Ice Scraper.
Trained by Jim Ellison for his Glenview, Illinois owners, Firstclassalthway comes into Friday’s race with $371,545 on his card and a lifetime best mile of 1:49.3.
The Pick 6 wager carryover pool at Maywood Park is now up to $16,833 after no one again had a winning ticket last week. The 20 cent wager starts off with Thursday’s first race and goes through race six.
On Their Way: Lucpark and The Big Sleazy, a couple of well-regarded ICF 3-year-olds, are expected to arrive on the local scene soon after qualifying nicely at the Southern Oaks Training Center in Florida last Thursday.
The Big Sleazy finished a neck ahead of Lucpark in their qualifier, both hitting the timer in 1:56.3 preparing for their season debuts.
Lucpark, an Erv Miller trainee, captured the Governor’s Cup last year in his freshman season when he earned over $76,000 for his Chicago owner Rocco Ruffalo. The lightly raced The Big Sleazy (2 for 8) captured the Orange and Blue Colt Consolation last Super night for trainer Nelson Willis and owner- breeder Marty Engel of Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Qualifying Update: The Mike Brown Stable’s Alwybreakinhearts (Todd Warren) and Del Chupp’s veteran Dontgetbyme (Kyle Husted) turned in the fastest two qualifiers on a very windy Tuesday at Balmoral Park.
The stewards allowed one second off qualifying times with winds whipping up at 30 mph on the 46 degree chilly morning.
The 4-year-old Alwybreakinhearts was three lengths the best in his 1:57.3 mile while the 10-year-old Dontgetbyme was a whopping 16 lengths ahead of his nearest foe in a 1:57.3 qualifier, pacing the last quarter in a quick 26.3, the fastest last panel among the five qualified contested.
Former WCP Champ Back: Going to the gate in the second of two Thursday qualifiers prior to the start of the regular at Maywood park card is the 2009 Windy City Pace champion In Over My Head for the Terry Leonard Stable.
The now 9-yerar-old gelding is expected to make his first start of the year at Balmoral Park in early May at Balmoral Park where he was a 1:50 flat Invite winner in 2014.
Qualifiers will be held at Springfield, Illinois today (Thursday) beginning at 1 p.m.
Mike Paradise