Hollywood Dayton: Jimmy Freight upsets in Dayton Pacing Derby

Jimmy Freight finally got the trip he's been looking for all season long for driver Scott Zeron, and that perfect cover ride led to a 10-1 upset in the $151,750 Dayton Pacing Derby for free-for-allers on Friday night at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway.

The action was hot and heavy from the start with Western Fame and This Is The Plan dueling hard for command, with This Is The Plan clearing by the 26 1/5 opening quarter but relinquishing the lead to the 6-5 Western Fame shortly thereafter. Dan Noble guided Western Fame to the half in 53 3/5, and then was joined by McWicked, with Brian Sears sending last year's Horse of the Year in attack mode. Western Fame and McWicked battled hard through a 1:20 4/5 three-quarters, with Jimmy Freight lined up second-over and Endeavor third-over in the outer flow.

McWicked edged by the leader into the stretch, but Jimmy Freight had the most pace after swinging out three-wide and rolled home impressively in a 1:48 3/5 clocking. McWicked held gamely for second, with Western Fame third, and This Is The Plan fourth. Owned by Adriano Sorella and trained now by Scott DiDomenico, Jimmy Freight returned $23.20 for the victory, just his third as a 4-year-old.

"I was hoping Brian (Sears with McWicked) would land where he did," said Zeron following the race. ""He's had hard luck for trips lately. I'm glad this worked out."