TAKTER LIKES 'OPTIMISTIC' APPROACH TO NA CUP

HIGHTSTOWN, NJ -- June 12, 2025 -- Nancy Takter has reason to feel hopeful about Captain Optimistic as the trainer gets her colt ready for Saturday’s C$1 million Grade 1 Pepsi North America Cup for 3-year-old male pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Ontario.

Takter, already a two-time North America Cup winner, will send Captain Optimistic into Saturday’s final off a 1:50.2 win in his elimination this past Saturday at Mohawk. He will leave from post six with driver Dexter Dunn and is the 9-2 third choice on the morning line behind the event’s other two elim winners, Louprint at 7-5 and Lite Up The World at 4-1.

“He came out of the race great,” Takter said about the elim in an interview with the USTA’s Wendy Ross as part of Thursday’s HarnessRacing.com Preview Show devoted to the North America Cup. “I trained him a little bit (Wednesday) and he’s definitely feeling good about himself, really confident.

“Having a versatile colt like him makes Dex’s job a little bit easier because he can use more tactics. Some of the better horses are to the inside of us, so hopefully one of them can give us good cover.”

In his elimination, Captain Optimistic was fifth in an opening :26.1 quarter, then launched a first-over move as the field headed toward the half in :56. He was second at three-quarters before winning a stretch battle with Joel And The Jets and Swingtown, who finished second and third, respectively.

“I like him off the pace,” Takter said. “I think he actually races a little bit better with a target. I’m not saying that he can’t do it on the front, he’s won plenty of races on the front end too, but I do think that racing with a target is probably his stronger way of racing.

“But sitting fifth in what they went to the half is a little nerve-wracking because I do have a lot of respect for the other horses in the race. When you get a slow first half like that, obviously the horses on the front have a tactical advantage. But he’s such a good, gritty colt, and when Dex asked him to go, he just kept going the entire way.”

Captain Optimistic has won eight of 13 career races, hit the board a total of 12 times, and earned $483,160 for owners 3 Brothers Stables, Marvin Katz, and Caviart Farms.

Last year, Captain Optimistic won an elimination of the Metro Pace at Mohawk and finished third in the final. He also won an elimination of the Breeders Crown, in a career-best 1:49, and was fourth in the final, beaten by 1-1/2 lengths.

He capped his campaign with a 1:49.3 victory in the Governor’s Cup at The Meadowlands at the end of November.

“I was really optimistic, no pun intended, on his chances for the entire year,” Takter said about her expectations for 2025. “I really liked how he ended his 2-year-old season. He’s a big, strong colt. He’s great gaited and he gives you everything he has every time he goes on the racetrack. There were a lot of good things to think about him coming into his 3-year-old year.

“Hopefully, Saturday is a good day for him, and I think it should be, and hopefully he does really well.”

Captain Optimistic, bred by Fair Winds Farm, is a son of Captaintreacherous-Cinamony and his family includes 2017 North America Cup winner Fear The Dragon.

Takter’s two previous North America Cup champions were Captain Crunch in 2019 and Tall Dark Stranger in 2020. Captain Crunch is one of three Governor’s Cup winners to return the following season and win the North America Cup.

Now, Captain Optimistic will have the opportunity to become the fourth to accomplish that feat, and in the process give Takter her third trophy.

“I guess there is always a little bit of pressure in big races because obviously you want to do really well, but I don’t really think of it as trying to get my third, or anything like that,” Takter said. “I’m just here to make sure my horse is as prepared as possible for Saturday, and hopefully he shows up and does what I think he can do.”

As she said after Captain Optimistic’s elim victory, “I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of nice stakes horses throughout the years, I mean Captain Crunch and Tall Dark Stranger were just amazing animals. If Captain Optimistic could follow in their footsteps, that would be great.”

Mohawk’s Saturday card also includes the C$390,000 Grade 1 Fan Hanover Stakes for 3-year-old female pacers and the C$287,000 Grade 1 Roses Are Red Stakes for older female pacers, as well as Grade 2 stakes in the C$227,000 Goodtimes for 3-year-old male trotters and the C$210,000 Armbro Flight for older female trotters.

Racing begins at 6:35 p.m. (EDT) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. For free daily race programs for Mohawk, visit the track’s website here.