by Keith Gisser, director of publicity, Northfield Park

Northfield, OH — This Saturday’s $135,000 Courageous Lady at Northfield Park is an open stake — any filly can be nominated, sustained and then entered as a 3-year-old – but this year’s edition has a Sires Stakes flavor.

Not only does it look like three states’ champions will compete, but all three won their Sires championships both as 2- and 3-year-olds.

Trainer Eric Hamlet plans to enter Ohio champ Osborne’s Gypsy in the race. Owned by Northfield Wall of Fame inductee Jerry Osborne of Mentor, she has earned $226,350 while winning 13 of 16 career starts.

Go On BB, who defeated Osborne’s Gypsy in a 1:53.1 qualifier over the Flying Turns last Friday, is 24 of 29 in her career and has won the Indiana Sires Stakes Championship twice. Her career earnings stand at $312,409.

Most people think of Courageous Lady probable entrant Western Graduate as the Jugette champ, or the Adioo Volo titlist, or as last year’s Standardbred Stake winner, but they forget that she took the Pennsylvania Sires title in 2006 and in 2007 for her connections.

But wait, there’s more: This year’s ‘Lady’ may be the most balanced ever from top to bottom. Trainer Brian Brown’s Mystical Dreamer is expected to compete, as is Liberty Skiberty, who pressured Southwind Tempo for the lead in the Jugette Final, before both yielded to Western Graduate. Owned by Ohioan Bruce Trogden, the daughter of Allamerican Ingot is just shy of $100,000 in career earnings.

Artcotic, a winner of $278,000, won a New Jersey Sires Stake over the half-mile oval at Freehold Saturday in 1:53.3. She was parked to the quarter, took immediate pressure, and still held on to win.

Other possible Courageous Lady entrants include Michelle’s Power, Dragon Flier K, and Sand Shania. Meanwhile, Western Montana appears off the trail, as she has not raced since August 11.

The entry box for the Courageous Lady closes at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 10, and the entry fee is $2,000.

Night of Champions is Friday: The entry box closes at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday for Friday’s Night of Champions races at Northfield. These races feature the Buckeye State’s top county fair performers chasing purses of $18,500.

This year, the winners of the four 3-year-old events will be invited to compete in $25,000 National County Fair championship races at Yonkers Raceway the following week. If the winner declines the invitation, the place horse gets a shot to be named best in the nation.

Top performers in the Night of Champions standings include 3-year-old filly trotter Sizzling Lavec, who amassed 560 points at the fairs; Kalfa’s Attack, a 2-year-old pacing filly who leads her division with 555 points; and freshman filly trotter Swing Anna Chip, who earned 525 points.

Not surprisingly, the 3-year-old colt pacing division was the tightest, with Gerald N Sam edging out Soggy Bottom, 365-350, with wins at Dover and Coshocton, the last two fairs in the competition.

All Night of Champs entrants must show a flat charted line since September 12. For details, contact Director of Racing Gregg Keidel at (330) 467-4101, extension 300.