Dover: Jimmy Freight looks to close out the year with Progress Pace win

It’s been a long year for most of the sophomore pacers racing in Thursday’s $260,000 Hap Hansen Progress Pace at Dover Downs, yet somehow the well-traveled Jimmy Freight has managed to maintain his edge as the calendar approaches the final month.

“I actually think the change of scenery has done him well,” said Andrew Harris, who has had the fortune to train the son of Sportswriter in the States. “Richard Moreau has obviously done a great job when he’s been in Canada.”

Jimmy Freight won the lone elimination held on November 21 but landed post seven for Thursday’s final. “I don’t think it matters. Scottie (Zeron) knows the horse and he’ll get him in position,” Harris said.

The field of eight includes Breeders Crown champion Dorsoduro Hanover who drew the outside lane. He’s one of three entrants in the Progress from the stable of Ron Burke. “If there’s one horse I’m worried about it’s This Is The Plan,” said Harris candidly. “I mean it’s always tough when there are three from the same stable against you.”

Jimmy Freight has been remarkably consistent throughout the season and enters the Progress with 11 wins on the season while finishing on the board in all but one of his 20 starts thus far. A dominant force in the Ontario Sires program, Jimmy Freight has been just as dynamic when in Harris’ care. Last week he made the most of a pocket journey to score in 1:49 2/5 over the five-eighths track for Zeron, besting Dorsoduro Hanover and This Is The Plan. With added money on the line this week, there’s more reason to believe there will be plenty of early action and This Is The Plan could be a major part of that equation having landed post three inside both of his richer rivals. A late season acquisition by Burke and his team of regular owners, This Is The Plan has already scored a major victory at Dover this season finishing in a dead-heat for first in the $193,750 Matron Stakes two weeks ago. Tim Tetrick guided him in that mile and will be in the bike on Thursday. This Is The Plan raced from the back in his elimination race and finished sharply, indicating he’s ready for the final stakes event of the season for sophomores.

Despite landing post eight, Dorsoduro Hanover and driver Matt Kakaley should be expected to get involved. A victim quite often of hard luck draws throughout the season, the gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere has been both rugged and durable, finishing first or second in 16 of his 21 starts.

Another colt with a prime shot at the Progress is Thinkbig Dreambig. The son of Bettor’s Delight scored a major victory when he passed the pacesetting Jimmy Freight in the Milstein at Northfield in August. That was a 1:50 mile over a half-mile track in August and since then Thinkbig Dreambig has been a bit inconsistent and now looks to bounce back from a fifth-place finish in the elimination last week, a race he cut the pace and weakened. Yannick Gingras again has the driving assignment from post four.

This will be the last race for Jimmy Freight this season and Harris said to this point he doesn’t know whether the colt will return for his 4-year-old campaign or look elsewhere. “Adriano (Sorella, his owner) hasn’t decided yet what he’s going to do with him,” said Harris. “There aren’t that many 4-year-old races for him and McWicked is coming back.”

While Harris may not have Jimmy Freight in his stable in 2019, the trainer expects to have 13 babies to care for this winter as part of his 40-horse stable. Currently he doesn’t have a horse pointing for the Levy series but expects recent arrival Don’t Think Twice A to head to the Blue Chip Matchmaker series at Yonkers. The import scored on Wednesday at Dover Downs impressively. “She’s the best pacing mare I’ve ever sat behind,” said Harris, who owns part of the mare. Harris of course has sat behind some exceptional fillies as the former assistant to trainer Casie Coleman.