$100,000 Courageous Lady plus $60,000 Buckeye Finals

Leading divisional Horse of the Year candidate Test Of Faith will look to continue her streak of Grand Circuit wins in Saturday night’s (Oct. 16) $100,000 Courageous Lady, for 3-year-old harness racing pacing fillies, at MGM Northfield Park.

This year’s Courageous Lady is the 11th race on a 16-race program. A $10,000 guaranteed Pick-4 pool has been added to the night. The guaranteed Pick-4 will begin with the Courageous Lady.  FREE PP’s are being offered for the evening’s races.  To obtain the FREE PP’s simply visit www.northfieldpark.com or see MGM Northfield Park’s Facebook or Twitter pages. 

The undercard consists of eight $60,000 Buckeye Stallion Series Championships and the weekly $20,500 Fillies and Mares Open Pace.

First race post time is 6:00 PM. Admission and parking are always FREE at MGM Northfield Park.

Here is an introduction to the 2021 Courageous Lady contenders:

Think Of Galaxies drew the rail in this year’s Courageous Lady.  This sophomore daughter of So Surreal is new to Ohio trainer Chris Short.  This will be the first Grand Circuit starter for Short, who is based out of the Morrow County Fairgrounds in Mount Gilead, Ohio. 

She is owned by Jonathan Klee Racing and Peter Kleinhans.  Think Of Galaxies won her most recent start, a $17,000 conditioned race at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs and has a total of six career victories.  Her lifetime mark is 1:51.3 (M1) with a career bankroll of $199,000.  Matt Kakaley, who kickstarted his career at Northfield Park, will drive this 6-1 morning line contender.

Oakwoodanabella IR drew post 2 and has been instilled as the 4-1 second choice.  She is a relative newcomer to the United States and was a perfect six-for-six last year in Ireland.  She was not staked to this race, but her connections decided to pay $11,500 (supplement and starting fee) to be able to go postward. 

Trainer Brian Brown trains the Foreclosure N filly at the historic Delaware County Fairgrounds and has listed Ronnie Wrenn Jr. to pilot.  Oakwoodanabella IR has not been worse than third in any of her 11 career starts.  This nine-time winner is owned by Denis Copse of Ireland.  Her career-best was paced in her most recent race earlier this month at Hollywood Dayton Raceway in a sparkling 1:49.3 track record performance.

Summer Touch was Ohio’s 2020 freshman filly pacing champion and has drawn post three for harness racing’s all-time leading trainer Ron Burke.  This 15-1 longshot is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Knox Services, Slaughter Racing and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.  This is one of two fillies in this race trained by Ron Burke.  Chris Page has been named to pilot.  This Well Said filly has won five times already this year and and has been on the board in 15 of 19 career races, earning $456,410 and staking a 1:51.3 (Mea 5/8) mark.

Smothastenesewisky is this year’s Ohio Sires Stakes champion and checks in as a 10-1 longshot. She starts from post four for owner/trainer Brian Haynes.  The daughter of Nob Hill High is a Cinderella story for Haynes, who purchased the filly as a yearling for $4,000.  That meager investment has yielded $347,330 in earnings.  Smothastenesewisky has a 1:48.4 mark at The Red Mile earlier this year and has posted seven wins, one second and three third-place finishes in 16 starts this year.  Brett Miller is slated to drive.

Test Of Faith is the New York Sires Stakes champion as a two-and-three-year-old.  She put together back-to-back Grand Circuit wins at Kentucky’s famed Red Mile on October 3 and 10, including the $207,000 Glen Garnsey this past Sunday afternoon in a career best 1:48.3. 

The Brett Pelling trainee has compiled 19 victories and three runner-up finishes in 22 career starts, good for $1,155,239 in purses. Hall of Fame driver and Ohio native David Miller will be in the sulky.  This daughter of Art Major is owned by Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable and Eddie Gran and is the overwheling 3-5 morning line favorite.

Continualou is one of two fillies in this field trained by Ron Burke, this one for owners Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.  This daughter of Sweet Lou has six wins to her credit.  She has $332,542 in earnings and a 1:50.2 (DD 5/8) record.  Dan Noble will be in the sulky.  Continualou is a 20-1 longshot starting from post six that enters this race after making the finals of the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes and Jugette.

State Of Mind starts from the outside and is 25-1.  She is trained by Donald Lindsey for Owners D Lindsey, PW Kleinpaste, WV Alempijevic and GS Bechtel.  North America’s leading driver Aaron Merriman has been given the assignment.  Merriman has won more races over the Flying Turns than any other driver in Northfield’s history.  This lightly raced Roll With Joe filly has four career victories, $32,747 in earnings and a 1:53.4 (Wbsb 7/8) lifetime mark.

Saturday night will be the culmination of the Buckeye Stallion Series for the 2021 racing season as eight finals each for a purse of $60,000 will be contested at MGM Northfield Park.

First up on the card will be the final for the 2-Year-Old Filly trotters led by Toes In The Water (Long Tom) who has won three legs while winning 5 of 9 this season with a mark of 1:59.2. Ryan Stahl will drive for trainer Tye Loy.  Three others, Alana Hill (What The Hill), Miss Cowboy Star (Long Tom), and Purple Aura (Creatine) have each won two legs.

The 2-Year-Old Filly pace features four fillies who have won three legs each. Bittrsweetsymphony (Well Said), Cruzinbytheseaside (Downbytheseaside), Future Ex-Wife (Fear The Dragon), and Fantasy Life (Downbytheseaside) show twenty-three wins combined for the season.  Bittrsweetsymphony has the most wins, winning 12 of 16 this year. The fastest is Fantasy Life with a mark of 1:52.3.

In the 2-Year-Old Colt trot, All Gas No Brakes (Uncle Peter) has won three BSS legs and has found the winner’s circle eight times in 14 starts this season.  All Gas No Brakes has a mark of 1:58.4 for driver Trevor Smith and trainer Todd Luther.  Rose Run Xalted (Triumphant Caviar) and Outreach (Uncle Peter) have won two legs in the Stallion Series.

Western Ready and Moved Bythe Spirit lead the 2-Year-Old Colt pace with wins in three of the five legs. Western Ready (Western Vintage) has won eight of 11 with a mark of 1:52.1 and will be driven by Aaron Merriman for trainer Scott Ferguson.

Moved Bythe Spirit (Western Vintage) has a mark of 1:56.1 and has won four of 10 this year. Trainer Tim Lane has named Tyler Smith to drive.  Dirge (McArdle), Self Made (Fear The Dragon), and Xenia (Racing Hill) have each won twice in the Stallion Series.

Cash N Chips (Cash Hall) leads the field for the 3-Year-Old-Filly trot.  Cash N Chips has won three of five legs and has eight wins on the year.  Chip It In (Break The Bank K), Jogging Sweets (Dontyouforgetit), and Magic Credit Card (Credit Fashion) each have won twice in the series.

The 3-Year-Old Filly pace has three double leg winners entered.  Heavenissofaraway (Racing Hill), Pompatuse Of Love (Mr Wiggles), and Reachthruthesky AS (McArdle) have each won two of five legs.  Heavenissofarway and Reachthruthesky AS are both conditioned by Anette Lorentzon. Heavenissofarway has two wins this season, while stablemate Reachthruthesky AS has won four times.  Pompatuse Of Love also has four wins this year.

Two three-time leg winners, Ilikedecupcakes (Dejarmbro) and Malibu Kid (Wishing Stone) highlight the field for the 3-Year-Old Colt trot.  Sandy Beatty’s Ilikedecupcakes has won three of 15 this year, while Malibu Kid trained by Dalton Walls has won 11 of 22.  Naughty Triumphant (Triumphant Caviar) has won two legs in the BSS.

King’s Cruiser (Western Terror) leads the 3-Year-Old Colt pacers having won three legs for trainer Jeff Nisonger.  King’s Cruiser has won 12 times this year.  Odds On Pick Six (Racing Hill), Sleeping Single (Racing Hill), and Walknafter Midnite (Racing Hill) have each won two legs.

by Ayers Ratliff, for MGM Northfield Park and Roger Huston, for the OHHA