Northfield: Field set for 40th Battle of Lake Erie

The field is officially set for the 40th edition of the prestigious Grade 2 Battle of Lake Erie, as nine accomplished pacers will line up behind the starting gate to compete for a purse of $250,000.

Celebrating its 40th renewal, the Battle of Lake Erie once again attracts a star-studded group of older pacers from some of North America's top stables. The field features multiple stakes winners and seasoned veterans, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated races of the season.

Captain Albano, a career earner of nearly $2.5 million in purses, has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for trainer Noel Daley and driver Todd McCarthy. Captain Albano’s resume includes victories in the $478,000 Borgata Series Final at Yonkers in April and the prestigious Little Brown Jug at the Delaware (OH) County Fairgrounds in 2024.

40th Battle of Lake Erie – Post Positions

Post	Horse	Driver	Trainer / Morning Line
1	Women Layer	Luke Hanners	Virgil Morgan Jr. 6-1
2	Mossdale Ben N	Jim Marohn Jr.	Peter Tritton 4-1
3	Captain Albano	Todd McCarthy	Noel Daley 3-1
4	Helium N	Dan Noble	Christi Noble 12-1
5	Prince Hal Hanover	Matt Kakaley	Ian Moore 9/2
6	Ken Hanover	Brett Miller	Roland Mallar 7/2
7	For Once Inmy Life	Jordan Stratton	Cory Stratton 15-1
8	Bythemissal	Chris Page	Ron Burke 20-1
9	Huntinthelastdollar	Tyler Smith	Per Engblom 10-1

With the richest purse in the history of the event and a field packed with talent, the 40th Battle of Lake Erie promises to deliver another memorable chapter in the history books.

The co-featured event, the Buckeye Distaff, will also go for its first six-figure purse of $100,000. That field attracted nine of the top Ohio-Sired mares in the country.

5th Buckeye Distaff – Post Positions

Post	Horse	Driver	Trainer
1	Real Star	Trevor Smith	Scott Mogan
2	Hey Hey Mama	Luke Hanners	Virgil Morgan Jr
3	Naked On A Hill	Chris Page	Ron Burke
4	High Flyin Filly	Dan Noble	Ron Burke
5	Prolific Fire	Mike Wilder	Todd Luther
6	Factory Girl	Dan Noble	Scott Di Domenico
7	Odds on Chesapeake	Todd McCarthy	Virgil Morgan Jr
8	Tarapasta	Matt Kakaley	Todd Luther
9	No Foolin April	Brett Miller	Adam Short

The 16-race program is loaded with stakes throughout as there are five divisions of Buckeye Stallion Series for 3-year-old colts and geldings pacers as well as five divisions on the trot side. There will also be four divisions of Buckeye Claiming Series for 3-year-old colts and gelding pacers.

Live racing kicks off at 6:00pm, which also starts the first of five consecutive nights of live racing at the “home of the flying turns”.

-edited release (Northfield Park)