Freddyscooter and Trace Tetrick looked impressive in their return to the track Wednesday, June 15 at Hoosier Park, as they hit pay dirt in the $24,000 Open Pace, which they snared in 1:52. The win was the second of the season for the six-year-old I Scoot Hanover gelding who had not raced since May 25.
After having started from Post 7 in the seven-horse lineup, Freddyscooter showed little speed early, as he opted to fall into line as Royalton Star and Andy Shetler showed their customary early foot at the start and posted an opening quarter-mile time of :27.1.
Heading down the backstretch, Tetrick felt it was time to put some pressure on the leaders to keep the pace going and moved to the outside. Tetrick immediately got a horse to follow him (Sams Escape, driven by Josh Sutton). The half-mile marker was passed in :56.3 and the outer flow continued to move forward, thus putting Freddyscooter in perfect second-over positioning for the final drive to the wire.
In the stretch, Freddyscooter tipped to the outside and went to work at tracking down the leaders. He moved fluidly by his opponents and was a comfortable one and one-half lengths in front at the wire. Annieswesterncard finished second followed by Get It Now and Ricky Macomber for third.
“He (Freddyscooter) came back sharp,” said Tetrick. “Steve (Brannan) did a good job getting him ready off the layoff, and he raced real well. We got away sixth and weren’t going much at all. I was the first to move to the outside and we flushed Josh (Sutton) and came second over all the way in. It worked out the way he (Freddyscooter) likes to race.”
Freddyscooter now has 25 career wins in 68 career starts. The standout Indiana-sired gelding is only one of 11 horses to ever dip below the 1:50 time barrier in the history of Hoosier Park, as he posted a 1:49.4 win during the 2009 season. He has spent his entire life under the care of trainer Steve Brannan and his wife, Nancy. Freddyscooter now has in excess of $515,000 in career earnings.
(Hoosier Park)