Jimmy Freight picked a stellar time to notch the first win of his four-year-old campaign with an authoritative score in the 2019 $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup Invitational on the North America Cup undercard.
Driver Louis-Philippe Roy sent out the 2018 O'Brien Award winner sharply from post three and landed in the pocket behind a swifter Nirvana Seelster (Trevor Henry) and in front of favoured McWicked (Brian Sears). Nirvana Seelster wheeled past that first quarter in :26.4 and then Roy right-lined Jimmy Freight from the pocket to loop the leader and land in command.
Jimmy Freight fronted the field through the :54.4 half but was soon confronted by the 2018 Horse of the Year McWicked, flushed from third by an advancing The Wall (Joe Bongiorno). McWicked would work his way up to Jimmy Freight's wheel by the 1:21.2 third station but did not make a sizable dent in that lead. Heading for home, Jimmy Freight responded with another gear and he powered away to a near two-length score over Nirvana Seelster, with McWicked finishing third.
"My strategy was going to go a little bit with what McWicked was doing so having him right behind me, I wanted him to come first-up on me," said Roy after the win. "I know that he is good that way too but that was I imagined how the trip was to go to beat him. Even if I thought that McWicked was going to be really hard to beat, I thought that was the best way to beat him."
Knowing McWicked very well as someone that's sat behind him, Roy wasn't sure until very late in the mile that he had McWicked beat.
"It was not until the middle of the stretch I said I think we're there because in the last turn I know -- I drove McWicked and he'll be still gapping a few lengths but in the stretch he'll be all power -- so I wasn't sure about the last turn, but all the credit goes to my horse. In the last turn, he wanted to go by himself when he heard that horse coming. He was feeling so strong and he never wanted him to get to his wheel."
Trained by Richard Moreau for owner Adriano Sorella of Guelph, Ont., Jimmy Freight (Sportswriter - Allamerican Summer) picked up his 19th lifetime win and pushed his career bankroll to $1,188,146.
Be sure to check out the recaps and replays from the stakes-loaded card of harness racing action at Woodbine Mohawk Park on 2019 Pepsi North America Cup night in our North America Cup Night News Centre