Meadowlands: Captain Optimistic conquers challengers in Governor's Cup final

Following a third-place finish in the Metro Pace and a fourth-place effort in the Breeders Crown, Captain Optimistic put it all together with a powerful two-move mile to win the $382,200 Governor's Cup, for 2-year-old male pacers, on Saturday (Nov. 30) at the Meadowlands.

After being looped on the first turn by 50-1 longshot Papi's Rocket (driven by George Brennan), Captain Optimistic and driver Dexter Dunn forged to the front at the end of a 27 2/5 first quarter before stringing out Papis Pistol (Andy Miller) to the 54 3/5 half-mile juncture. Only a few strides after releasing Papis Pistol, Captain Optimistic angled out of the pocket to ensure clear sailing for the final three-eighths of the mile. The Captaintreacherous-Cinamony colt ground forward at the flank of Papis Pistol to three-quarters in 1:22 2/5 and asserted to reclaim the lead off the turn for home.

"Dex had to use him hard two times in the race," said trainer Nancy Takter, adding that the colt "covers a lot of ground."

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Off the corner, Captain Optimistic sprinted clear while driven out by Dunn before being taken in hand for the final 100 yards of his four-length, 1:49 3/5 win. Swingtown (Yannick Gingras) sustained a two-wide advance from midfield to take second; Papi's Rocket finished third.

"He's had a really good season; he won the New Jersey Classic here," continued Takter. "He's continued to improve. We had some trouble getting him to steer properly, but today was the best he's steered. Hopefully that carries over to 2025."

Captain Optimistic, a seven-time winner from 11 starts, has earned $454,830 this season for 3 Brothers Stables, Marvin Katz and Caviart Farms. As the 4-5 favorite, he paid $3.80 to win.