Here’s the field for Northfield’s $100,000 Courageous Lady

Captain Cowgirl looks to extend her three-race win streak in Saturday night’s (Oct. 15) $100,000 Courageous Lady, a by-invitation-only Grand Circuit event for 3-year-old harness racing filly pacers, at MGM Northfield Park.

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 the annual “Pace for the Cure” lady driving race and eight $40,000 Ohio Fair Championships.

Here is an introduction to the 2022 Courageous Lady contenders:

#1 Galleria Hanover (Always B Miki) drew the rail in this year’s Courageous Lady. This sophomore is one of two fillies in this field for harness racing’s leading trainer Ron Burke. She is owned by the partnership of WJ Donovan, Purnel & Libby LLC and Joe Sbrocco. Galleria Hanover enters the Courageous Lady with four lifetime wins. and her 1:49.2 (Mea 5/8) lifetime best is the fastest in this field. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. will drive this 6-1 shot with a $169,728 career bankroll.

#2 Valar Dohaeris (Huntsville) drew post 2 and has been installed with odds of 8-1. She races out of the Ake Svanstedt stable. This New York stalwart attracts driving star Mark MacDonald. She has finished in the top-three in all of her 10 races this year. She is owned by Knutsson Trotting Inc. She has a career-best 1:51 (TgDn 5/8) and a $211,300 bankroll.

#3 Cape Cod Hanover (Downbytheseaside), winner of the $103,714 Ohio Breeders Championship last month, is the 4-1 third favorite from post three. The filly is trained by Ron Burke and has won 10 of 22 starts with earnings of $460,754. She is owned by Burke racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Rich Lombardo Racing and Ras Racing. 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.

#4 Lookatmyrapsheet (Bettor’s Delight) checks in as the 7-2 second choice. She is owned by Arnold White and has won five races and finished in the top-three in 12 of 14 starts this year with seasonal earnings of $187,300. 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 Billy Davis Jr. to pilot from post four.

#5 Bittrsweetsymphony (Well Said) is one of two Ohio-bred fillies in this field and is a 15-1 long shot. She starts from post five for local trainer Crist Hershberger, who also drives for the owning partnership of CNC Stables and David Miller. The filly 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 four track records under her belt.

#6 Give Me This Dance (Wind Me Up) is this field’s Minnesota Monster, destroying her competition by 10 lengths last week. This well-traveled filly also shows winning this year in California. She is trained by Justin Anfinson for owners Alan and Cheryl Sanbulte. This filly was winless last year as a freshman, but has posted 14 victories so far this year, with 25 top-three finishes in 26 starts. She has $146,372 in earnings and a 1:53.3 (Aces 5/8) record. Northfield’s leading driver Aaron Merriman, who also leads North America in wins, will be in the sulky. Give Me This Dance is a 20-1 longshot that enters this race off two consecutive victories.

#7 Gotthegreenlight (American Ideal) starts from post seven and is 12-1. She is trained by Nifty Norman for owners Patricia Stable and Kovach Stables. Driving phenom Dexter Dunn has been listed to pilot. This filly has won 14 of 24 races with earnings of $488,697 and a 1:51 (TgDn 5/8) lifetime mark. She was a strong presence in this year’s New York stakes scene and starts tonight against open competition.

#8 Sweet Treasure (Sweet Lou) drew the far outside in this year’s Courageous Lady. This filly did not start last year but has finished in the top-three in 10 of 11 starts in 2022 due to being disqualified at placed fourth in a race in August. Nancy Takter trains this filly for Hot Lead Farm. Sweet Treasure sports $177,834 in earnings and a 1:50.1 (M 1) mark. Chris Lems is programmed to drive this 10-1 longshot.

#9 Captain Cowgirl (Captaintreacherous), a Pennsylvania Sires Stakes Champion at both 2 and 3, has put together an impressive trio of victories leading up to this race, including the $253,000 Pennsylvania Sires Stake Championship on September 25. 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 favorite. She is owned by the partnership of Jo Ann Looney-King and Kenneth Frieder with 1:49.3 (Mea 5/8) lifetime mark.

MGM Northfield Park is also hosting “Pace for the Cure” on Saturday to raise funds and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. The event showcases female drivers and offers a novel event for horse racing spectators.

The one-mile dash will carry a purse of $10,000 and will help raise money for the

American Cancer Society. “Pace for the Cure” is well received by horsemen, and they typically show their support for the event by dressing their horses in pink harnesses, ribbons, sulkies, etc.

“The ‘Pace for the Cure’ has become a tradition here at Northfield. It is a great way to highlight both harness racing and the awareness and support for breast cancer research,” said Brent Reitz, Vice President of Regional Racing Operations for MGM.

Guests can join in the drive to eliminate breast cancer by purchasing raffle tickets ($1 each or 10 for $5) and depositing their raffle tickets into bags that correspond with their favorite “Pace for the Cure” driver. Tickets from the winning bags will be entered in a drawing for prizes. Raffle tickets can be purchased at Northfield’s promotional table on the first level of the grandstand on Saturday, starting at 5PM and continuing until post time for the “The Pace.”

Among the participants this year is defending champion Mandy Jones. She is driving Blue Spanx, the horse she drove to win last year’s “Pace.” Emma Wahlberg is the highest percentage driver among women this year, sporting a .444 average. The winningest driver this year is Rosy Weaver, posting 17 wins in 78 drives in 2022.

Those three will take on Christina Johnson, Alisha Binkley, Lauren Harmon, Amy Wengerd, Nadine Habke and Jolene Christman.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ayers Ratliff, for MGM Northfield Park