Captain Cowgirl will look to expand her three-race win streak in Saturday night’s (Oct. 15) $100,000 Courageous Lady, a by-invitation-only Grand Circuit event for three-year-old pacing fillies, at MGM Northfield Park.
Captain Cowgirl, a Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champion at both two and three, has put together an impressive trio of victories including the $253,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Championship on Sept. 3. The Jim King Jr. trainee has compiled 12 victories and two runner-up finishes in 19 career starts, good for $569,875 in purses. Hall of Fame driver Tim Tetrick will be in the sulky behind the 2-1 morning-line favourite.
Lookatmyrapsheet checks in as the 7-2 second choice. The daughter of Bettors Delight has won five races and finished in the top three in 12 of 14 starts this year. Her most recent score came earlier this month at The Red Mile, winning in 1:51.1. Trainer Per Engblom ships his filly in from Kentucky and has listed Ronnie Wrenn Jr. to pilot from post four.
Two Ohio-sired fillies have been invited to this year’s event. Cape Cod Hanover, winner of the $103,714 Ohio Breeders Championship last month, is the 4-1 third favourite from post three. The daughter of Downbytheseaside is trained by harness racing’s leading trainer Ron Burke and has won 10 of 22 starts with earnings of $460,754. Burke has listed Chris Page to drive. The Burke/Page connection won the Little Brown Jug last month with Bythemissal, another Buckeye-bred by Downbytheseaside.
Bittrsweetsymphony is the other Ohio filly in the race and is a 15-1 longshot. She starts from post five for local trainer Crist Hershberger. The daughter of Well Said has a 1:50.4 mark at the Delaware County Fair last month and has posted 12 wins and seven third-place finishes in 22 starts this year. Bittrsweetsymphony enters this race with $211,877 in earnings and Tyler Smith is slated to drive.
The complete field is as follows:
$100,000 Courageous Lady
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line
1. Galleria Hanover - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke - 6-1
2. Valar Dohaeris - Mark MacDonald - Ake Svanstedt - 8-1
3. Cape Cod Hanover - Chris Page - Ron Burke - 4-1
4. Lookatmyrapsheet - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Per Engblom - 7-2
5. Bittrsweetsymphony - Tyler Smith - Crist Hershberger - 15-1
6. Give Me This Dance - Aaron Merriman - Justin Anfinson - 20-1
7. Gotthegreenlight - Dexter Dunn - R. Nifty Norman - 12-1
8. Sweet Treasure - Andrew McCarthy - Nancy Takter - 10-1
9. Captain Cowgirl - Tim Tetrick - Jim King Jr. - 2-1
*Final driver selections due by 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
This year’s Courageous Lady is the 13th race on a 15-race program. A $20,000 guaranteed 20-cent Super High Five is offered on the evening’s featured event as well as a $10,000 guarantee to the evening’s late Pick-4 beginning in Race 11.
The undercard consists of eight $40,000 Ohio Fair Championships and the annual Pace for the Cure lady driving race.
First-race post time is 6 p.m. Admission and parking are always free at MGM Northfield Park.
(Northfield Park)