Published: July 27, 2026 02:45 am EDT on Standardbred Canada
In his three previous victories this year, Captain Optimistic had secured the front end by the half. So when his backers at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday, July 26 saw him sixth and wide nearing the first turn, they might have been worried about the 1-9 choice’s chances. But driver Scott Zeron backed off the early speed battle, raced Captain Optimistic from second-over position, and preserved enough late kick to take the $22,535 Winners Over Handicap Pace.
More than half of the field of seven had left the switch quickly in the feature, with Lous Starr (Corey Braden) first on top then yielding to Smooth Dream (Jonathan Ahle) past the :26.1 quarter. Smooth Dream, a Graduate Series cheque getter, maintained the top at the :54.2 half, after which Goliath Hanover (Corey Callahan), claimed for $27,778 five starts ago, came up with a speedy first-over challenge, with Captain Optimistic sticking right with his lively cover through the 1:21.4 three quarters.
Zeron tipped his charge three-wide approaching the stretch, but then found Goliath Hanover resilient and 47-1 shot Blue Lou (Jim Marohn Jr.) swinging even wider from off his back and gaining. But the class of the four-year-old son of Captaintreacherous-Cinamony showed as a :27 final quarter carried him to a three-quarter-length victory over Goliath Hanover in 1:49.2, with Blue Lou another half length back,
Captain Optimistic, now a winner of $1,834,767, got the job done for trainer Nancy Takter and the Captain Optimistic Syndicate. He is four-for-seven this year with a victory in the Graduate Series final and is 16-for-38 lifetime. He paid $2.20.
