Northfield Park: Thinkbig Dreambig turns pocket trip into Carl Milstein Memorial triumph

Thinkbig Dreambig, compromised by bad posts in the finals of the Meadowlands Pace and Adios, drew inside for the $400,000 Carl Milstein Memorial on Saturday night at Northfield Park, and after working out a pocket trip, came on in the lane to win in 1:50 flat. This completed a great two days for the vacationing Jimmy Takter after his barn captured the Dan Patch on Friday night at Hoosier Park with Lazarus N.

Starting from post three and driven by Jordan Stratton, it looked like Thinkbig Dreambig was going to settle into a three-hole, but that became a loose pocket spot when North America Cup champion Lather Up (Montrell Teague) couldn't negotiate the first turn from post two and made a break. That left pole starter Jimmy Freight (Louis-Philippe Roy) on the lead at the 27 4/5 opening quarter, with Thinkbig Dreambig moving up steadily to close the gap. Lather Up got back on stride and moved up first-over to the opening quarter, but he would jump it off again on the second turn, eliminating him from contention.

With Lather Up out of the picture, that allowed Jimmy Freight to get to the half in just 55 3/5, and Dorsoduro Hanover (Matt Kakaley) stalled out from first-up, leaving Jimmy Freight on a clear lead and Thinkbig Dreambig in the pocket to the three-quarters in 1:22 3/5 and setting the stage for a two-horse duel to the wire.

Stratton would pull Thinkbig Dreambig to the outside about three-quarters of the way through the final bend, and he paced on to get side-by-side with Jimmy Freight in the lane. The pace-setter tried to dig in to stave off the challenge, but Thinkbig Dreambig had the momentum, surging by for a half-length victory. Minnie Vinnie (Aaron Merriman) and Slick Tony (Russell Foster), the two longest shots on the board at 55-1 and 65-1, respectively, completed the top four, with Dorsoduro Hanover dropping back to fifth.

"We knew we had a good shot going in. Jimmy's very confident in this horse," said Stratton, who added this win to earlier victories in the Battle of Lake Erie and Cleveland Trotting Classic at Northfield. "He's a little bit of a late bloomer, but he's really showing his talent now. He had plenty of pace finishing going across the wire. We were a little nervous about getting around the half, but Jimmy's crew does a great job, and I wasn't really wasn't worried when they told me they were confident in him. Lather Up, just the half might be a little too tight for him. Everything worked out, the two-hole worked out. I pulled a little bit early just to get him in gear, and he responded.

"He's been in really bad spots. In the Meadowlands Pace he came from way back, and in the Adios he came from way back. He's had the fastest last quarter in almost every race he's raced so far. He's really blooming now."

Takter trains Thinkbig Dreambig, a Bettor's Delight colt, for owners Brixton Medical Inc., John Fielding, Goran Anderberg, and Goran Falk. Unraced as a 2-year-old, Thinkbig Dreambig has won five times from ten starts this year and has banked $325,537. Thinkbig Dreambig was a 7-1 offering and paid $17.00 to win.

"This horse is one of my all-time favorites," Takter stated. "It's been a long way for him, but I always knew that he had it."

On the undercard, there were a trio of $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes events for 3-year-old filly pacers. Baron Remy would win the first grouping in 1:52 for driver Chris Page and trainer Ron Burke, Velocity McSweets took the second division in 1:52 4/5 for Matt Kakaley and Steve Carter, and Lily Grace bagged the final flight in 1:52 3/5 for Joey Putnam and Dan O'Mara.

Page and Burke would also win the $50,000 Myron Charna President's Pace for Ohio-bred aged pacers with venerable 10-year-old millionaire Dancin Yankee in a track record-equaling 1:49 2/5. The Charna has been contested for three years, and Dancin Yankee has now won all three editions of the race.

Also, Barn Girl, a 6-year-old daughter of Cash Hall, won the night's open trot for driver Aaron Merriman and trainer Bill Bercury in 1:52 3/5, breaking the world record for an aged mare trotter on a half-mile track. Barn Girl had shared the previous mark of 1:53 with Like Old Times.