Captain Cowgirl got her sophomore campaign off to a middling start, but Pennsylvania’s freshman champion will try to right the ship in Saturday’s (June 11) $133,830 Pennsylvania Sires Stake (PASS) for three-year-old pacing fillies at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.

The card also features a $60,000 PA Stallion Series stake for sophomore filly pacers. Special post time for the Belmont Day program is 11:30 a.m. (EDT).

Captain Cowgirl banked more than $250,000 last year and captured the PASS title by a nose at The Meadows. But in her seasonal debut in a PASS leg at Harrah’s Philadelphia, she found herself going a tough first-over trip. The daughter of Captaintreacherous-Rideintothesunset eyeballed the winner, Treacherous Dragon, but eventually tired and finished fourth.

“She got caught in a bad trip, and it’s way too early in the season for that,” said Jim King, Jr., who trains Captain Cowgirl for Jo Ann Looney-King and Kenneth Frieder. “Some of the fillies have gone to the Grand Circuit races at Mohawk this weekend, so the field should be more to our liking.”

Indeed, Captain Cowgirl leaves from Post 4 (Race 4, Aaron Merriman) in a small field of five, meaning trip should be no factor.

King said he’s made no major changes with the filly this year.

“She was pretty nice last year, so she didn’t have to do a lot of maturing. We are using longer hopples. She trained very well this week and we expect a good showing out of her. There’s plenty of speed in the race, and if they all use it, that will be to our advantage. We’re thinking that this race will get her season underway.”

King indicated Captain Cowgirl will race primarily in Pennsylvania this year but is eligible to several of the lucrative year-end stakes.

In the other division of the PASS, which is known as the Adios Betty, locally based Lydeo (Race 1, Post 4, Mike Wilder) has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favourite off a place finish in her PASS opener.

(MSOA)