Harness: Jimmy Freight gets new ownership group

Ranked as the top horse in North America on the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown weekly poll, 7-year-old pacer Jimmy Freight will be moving south of the border to the barn of trainer Brett Pelling as part of an ownership change.

Adriano Sorella, who has been the sole owner of Jimmy Freight since buying the colt out of Iowa as a 2-year-old in 2017, will now become part of the Jimmy Freight Stable ownership group that also includes Eric Cherry's Let It Ride Stables, Robert Cooper Stables LLC, Howard Taylor and Jesmeral Stable.

"This makes it easier for him to race in the U.S. without having to jump from trainer to trainer," said Sorella. "Obviously Pelling was a key part of me accepting this arrangement."

"He's 7 but he has the body of a 5-year-old," said Cherry about the decision to buy into Jimmy Freight. "It was a good opportunity and he has most of his races here in the U.S."

Jimmy Freight has a number of stakes races in his sights for 2022 including the Gerrity Memorial at Saratoga, the #Senditin and Ewart Memorial at Scioto, the Canadian Pacing Derby and Breeders Crown at Mohawk Park, and the Potomac Pace at Rosecroft.

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Jimmy Freight, a winner of 11 races in 18 starts in 2022 with earnings of $283,337, was most recently victorious in the Mohawk Gold Cup (1:48) on June 18. For his career the son of Sportswriter has won 32 of 72 races and earned $1,568,723. He missed all of the 2020 and most of the 2021 season while he was serving as a stallion for Winbak Farm.

When reached for comment Pelling said that he didn't have the horse in his barn yet but Jimmy Freight has certainly proven himself against some top foes including Dan Patch Older Pacing Horse of the Year Allywag Hanover, who is also in his barn.