The Meadows: Captain Cowgirl ropes another PaSS win

Captain Cowgirl improved to three-for-three this year at The Meadows and tied the stakes record by winning her Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division for 2-year-old pacing fillies on Friday night in 1:51. St Nevis won the other split, breaking her maiden in the process.

Driven by Tim Tetrick in the second $81,072 flight, Captain Cowgirl settled in third while Bermuda (Dexter Dunn) went to the lead and chopped out a 26 4/5 opening quarter and a 56 1/5 half. Just past that half-mile marker, Tetrick pulled the trigger two-wide with Captain Cowgirl, and she surged into the lead prior to the 1:23 2/5 three-quarters. After taking command, Captain Cowgirl got some separation on the rest of the field on the final bend, and she stayed clear to the wire, winning by three lengths. Somesweetsomewhere (Scott Zeron) was the runner-up, and Hood Party (David Miller) finished third.

Jim King Jr. trains Captain Cowgirl, a daughter of Captaintreacherous, for owners Jo Ann Looney-King and Kenneth Frieder. She has a record of 4-1-0 from five starts, has banked $101,889, and paid $2.20 to win as the 1-9 favorite. Captain Cowgirl, bred by Kentuckiana Farms and Pinske Stables, was a $20,000 Standardbred Horse Sale buy and is out of the Western Hanover mare Rideintothesunset (1:54, $77,801), a half-sister to the likes of Strait At Ya (Artsplace, 1:52 1/5, $359,817).

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Back in the first $80,672 split, JK I Feel Fine (Dave Palone) rolled to the top from post two and hit the quarter in 28 2/5, but 1-2 favorite Hit Me Up (D. Miller) was already out and on the move from fourth at that station, and she landed on the engine on the way to the 57 second half. Hit Me Up maintained control through three-quarters in 1:24, but on the last turn St Nevis (Dunn) went first-over from third and advanced into second coming into the lane. Hit Me Up dug in determinedly through the stretch drive, but St Nevis kept chipping away and got up in the last stride to prevail by a nose in 1:51 4/5. JK I Feel Fine ended up third.

St Nevis is an Always B Miki filly trained by Nifty Norman for owners Patricia Stable, Cool Cat Racing Inc., and David McDuffee. Fred Hertrich III bred St Nevis, who was a $57,000 Standardbred Horse Sale acquisition and is the first foal out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare St Kitts (1:52 2/5, $154,886. St Nevis made her first appearance in the winner's circle in her fifth chance, pushed her earnings to $59,306, and returned $9.40 to win.