Cotton Candy in sweet Maywood win

Sophomore pacing fillies were the center of attention on Thursday night at Maywood Park as Peggy Hood & Mystical Marker Farms Cotton Candy knocked off seven other Illinois conceived and foaled three-year-olds by a half-length in 1:55.1 to take the $10,000 Filly Maywood Pace elimination.  The top six finishers will now move on to next Friday’s (June 18) $100,000 final where they will be joined by Fox Valley Dazzle and Rev Me up who received byes into the final on a money earned basis.
   
After settling in third heading into the first turn driver Dave Magee hustled the daughter of Sportsmaster-Juxtaposition up to the front where she proceeded to lead the field through splits of 28.1, 58.0 & 1:26.4.
   
“Getting the lead was certainly an option we had going into the race but I wanted to see how things shook out in the early going,” Magee explained. “She’s made a few breaks in her short career so I wanted to be a little cautious with her but she felt good so I decided to move her to the front.”
   
Moving around the final turn the Erv Miller trainee turned away the bid of the favored Fox Valley Oracle (Dean Magee) who had swept up three wide on the backstretch.
   
Bracing for the challenge of the pocket sitting Rolldownthehiway (Marcus Miller) Cotton Candy dug in through the stretch gamely holding off her stablemate to notch her third career win in seven starts. Rolldownthehiway was second while She’s Aware (Casey Leonard) turned a ground saving trip into the show dough. Also gaining sports in the final were Fox Valley Oracle, Makena Cat and Ellamkailey.
   
After the race Magee seemed to be quite impressed by the effort his filly has just turned in.
   
“We got a little breather in the second quarter but they came after her hard in the third quarter,” he said. “I only popped the wheel disk a few times in the stretch and she dug right in and finished up the race well within herself.”
   
Overlooked at the windows Cotton Candy returned a very nice price of $17.40, $5.60 & $3.80. (Maywood)