By Michael Carter, for MGM Northfield Park

Northfield, OH – Galleria Hanover ($12.20) took advantage of an inside draw and miscue by favorite Captain Cowgirl delivering the first Grand Circuit win at MGM Northfield Park to Ronnie Wrenn Jr. in Saturday night’s (Oct. 15) $100,000 Courageous Lady for 3-year-old filly pacers.

Galleria Hanover won the $100,000 Courageous Lady at MGM Northfield Park Saturday night. Casalinova Photo.

Wrenn Jr., who had previously been second four times in the Courageous Lady, left alertly with Valar Dohaeris (Mark MacDonald). The pair dueled until the mid-point of the first time around when MacDonald decided to take a hole in the pocket.

“I wanted to push hard leaving the gate,” said a jubilant Wrenn Jr.

Exiting the first turn, Captain Cowgirl (Tim Tetrick) tried to make a move from third but broke stride. Galleria Hanover led by 1-3/4 lengths past the opening quarter of :27.3.

Coming to the half, Cape Cod Hanover (Chris Page) was flushed out of the three-hole by Lookatmyrapsheet (Billy Davis Jr.) to try to challenge the leader. Galleria Hanover, confidently handled by Wrenn Jr., got to the half in a leisurely :56.1.

Moving past the five-eighths pole, Cape Cod Hanover moved within three-quarters of a length of the leader, but approaching three-quarters, Wrenn shook the lines at Galleria Hanover, and she kicked clear to a 1-3/4 lead past three-quarters in 1:23.2.

The connections of Galleria Hanover in the winner’s circle at MGM Northfield Park. Casalinova Photo.

Through the stretch, Galleria Hanover kicked clear to win by 5-3/4 lengths in 1:50.4 over Valar Dohaeris, who got a perfect trip in the pocket, Give Me This Dance (Aaron Merriman), and a hard-closing Sweet Treasure (Chris Lems).

Courtesy of the United States Trotting Association:

The United States Trotting Association has announced that ID Technician Garry Phillips will be in both Minnesota and Wisconsin Starting this Monday, October 17.

Please contact him today directly via phone to schedule your DNA and Microchipping appointments at 641-799-2358.

Freeze branding is also available with the fees due at the time of the service.

Without the proper identification and parentage verification, a horse’s. registration cannot be mailed, ownership cannot be transferred, and eligibility will not be issued.

The Microchipping rule went into place on January 1 of this year.

Trainer Justin Anfinson received the invite for the race from the Vice-President of Racing at Northfield Park, which he willingly accepted.

United States Trotting Association’s Editorial specialist Gordon Waterstone profiled the entry and connections. Here is his story from the United States Trotting Association’s Newsroom:

Lexington, KY —- The winningest 3-year-old filly pacer in the United States will line up behind the gate in Saturday night’s (Oct. 15) $100,000 Courageous Lady at Northfield Park but the name may not be a familiar one. With 14 wins thus far this year, Give Me This Dance stands tied atop the win list in her division (with Therealprincess, who has won all her races in the Canadian Maritimes), and she will bring her talents to Ohio this weekend from her home base in Minnesota.

Trainer Justin Anfinson said he received a phone call from Northfield’s race secretary Dave Bianconi inviting his filly pacer and after talking to owners Al and Cheryl Sandbulte of Maurice, Iowa, he accepted. Adding to the connection’s excitement over Give Me This Dance being invited is that Aaron Merriman, the leading driver at Northfield Park who is well on his way to capturing his eighth consecutive North American dash title, has been secured to be in the sulky.

“I just listed (Merriman) first and I got him,” said Anfinson about Merriman, who leads the Northfield colony this year with 428 wins and the continent with 689 victories. “The race is at his track so that’s what I went with.”

Give Me This Dance is a homebred of the Sandbultes as they own both the sire Wind Me Up and the dam Dances On The Wind, a daughter of Cole Muffler. Dances On The Wind is a half-sister to the $522,038 winner Rebellious and the $549,477 winner Btwnurheartnmine, whose biggest career victories came as a 3-year-old in 2008 in the American-National and Kentucky Sires Stakes final.

While Give Me This Dance has taken up residency in the winner’s circle this year, she posted a goose egg last year at two in 13 starts — all in Minnesota — earning just $24,146.

“She was very stubborn — that’s the word I use — and tough to deal with,” said Anfinson. “Things clicked and now she’s only a little tough after the race. She gets pretty wound up and geared up, but that’s it.”

Anfinson said Give Me This Dance was one of three homebred 2-year-old daughters of Wind Me Up owned by the Sandbultes he campaigned last year, which played a role in her always coming up short. Give Me This Dance finished second by a half-length as a 30-1 longshot to her 1-9 stablemate Park With Me Nancy in the Minnesota Sires Stakes final in 2021, which gave hope to her connections.

“It was just the way the year went,” said Anfinson. “One of (the Sandbultes) other ones was very good as a 2-year-old and (Give Me This Dance) was just late coming. It took her a lot longer to learn things.

“Things began to really click for her at the end of the year,” added Anfinson. “She raced great in the (Minnesota) final and almost won.”

Give Me This Dance was sent to California to kick off her sophomore season this year in the spring Sires Stakes contests, and she found the West Coast to her liking as she rattled off seven consecutive victories for trainer-driver Nick Roland while dominating her competition.

Brought back to Minnesota in mid-May, Give Me This Dance finished third in her debut with Roland driving, and then with Dean Magee in the sulky she won three straight, including a career-best 1:53.3 effort in a 3-year-old open on June 9. Her 14th victory this year came last time out on Oct. 8 at Cannon Falls, Minn., where she romped by 10 lengths for Magee in 2:00.2.

Overall, Give Me This Dance arrives at Northfield Park with 14 wins, seven seconds and four thirds in 26 starts this year. Missing just one check, Give Me This Dance has earned $122,226, bringing her career total to $146,372 for the Sandbultes.

Anfinson admits Give Me This Dance has her work cut out for her in the Courageous Lady. She is listed as a 20-1 morning-line longshot, with the honor of 2-1 favorite going to this year’s Pennsylvania Sires Stakes champion Captain Cowgirl, who starts from the trailing nine post in the nine-horse field for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King Jr.

The 7-2 second choice is Lookatmyrapsheet, the recent runner-up in the Kentucky Sires Stakes Championship final, who starts from post four with Billy Davis Jr. driving for trainer Per Engblom.

“She’s in a little tough but if she can put in an effort she’ll be all right,” said Anfinson.

As for the 34-year-old Anfinson, he began training horses in 2007 after graduating from high school, and he now trains a stable of about 35 on a 100-acre farm owned by his father Brian in Kenyon, Minn., about a half-hour south of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

“I played football, basketball and baseball in high school, and my uncles were (in harness racing) and after sports I needed something to do as far as going forward, and a deal kind of landed in my lap to train horses,” remembered Anfinson. “I took it and off I went.”

Anfinson said he’s looking forward to Give Me This Dance competing in the Courageous Lady.

“I’ve never been invited like this, so yeah, it’s cool,” he said.

The Courageous Lady is scheduled as race 13 on the 15-race card that gets underway at 6 p.m. Complete entries for the card can be found at this link.