How good is Jimmy Freight? Driver Louis Philippe Roy is not sure; he thought he had seen the best of the colt in his first six starts this season, but the three-year-old pacer stepped it up a notch in Saturday’s $96,400 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series win at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
“He’s always been really good, Jimmy Freight, and tonight I think he was better than he’s ever been. He felt so good going down the stretch, could have gone a little bit faster,” Roy told Woodbine Mohawk Park’s Chad Rozema in the winner’s circle. “Like I said, tonight is the best he’s ever been, and if you would have asked me how he was a week or two weeks ago I would say he’s very good. I didn’t know he could be better than what he was actually, so tonight he really impressed me again.”
Starting from Post 6 Jimmy Freight got away fourth as Levis Day led the field of seven to a :26.1 opening quarter, but Roy was not content to sit for long. He had the heavy favourite on the lead before the :54.2 half and by the 1:22.2 three-quarters the pair had opened up a two length gap on the field. Making it look easy, Jimmy Freight extended that margin to six and three-quarter lengths by the finish and clocked a new personal best 1:49.2. St Lads Neptune finished second and Levis Day took home third-place honours.
Roy drives the son of Sportswriter-Allamerican Summer for trainer Richard Moreau of Puslinch and owner Adriano Sorella of Milton, Ontario. Jimmy Freight now boasts a sophomore record of five wins, one second, one third and earnings of $151,900 through seven starts. In addition to Saturday’s Gold Series triumph he was also victorious in the Gold Series season opener at Flamboro Downs on May 20 and in his Somebeachsomewhere division at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 2.
“He’s a nice horse, I don’t know what to tell you, he makes everything so easy,” said Moreau. “If he races every week I never get to train him, I just jog him, that’s all.
“And if you jog him you wouldn’t be able to say he is a stake horse or what he is, because all he does is trot out there,” added Moreau with a chuckle. “You can’t even push him to pace unless you put the hopples on.”
The easygoing Jimmy Freight will make his next Gold Series start at Rideau Carleton Raceway on July 22 and has been invited to the August 11 Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park in Ohio.
Roy also captured the $125,000 three-year-old pacing filly Gold division, steering heavy favourite Shower Play to another one of her trademark come-from-behind victories, reaching the wire one length ahead of Big Thong and Write Me A Song in 1:51.1.
“She didn’t have a really good trip tonight, because I was kind of shuffled back in the last turn, so I was scared a little bit that I may be a little bit too far,” Roy told Rozema. “But once I moved her, she just, just by herself, she switched to sixth gear and rally home.”
Rockwood resident Rene Dion conditions Shower Play for his partners Susanne Kerwood of Rockwood, Ontario and Martin Leveillee of St-Blaise-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec. The victory bumps the Shadow Play daughter’s sophomore record to three wins and one second in four starts. In addition to Saturday’s Gold Series victory, her first, the filly was also victorious in the $415,000 Fan Hanover final on June 16 and the Grassroots season opener on May 31, both at Woodbine Mohawk Park. She will be back in Gold Series action on July 20 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Like Shower Play, Sharp Action Money used a late sprint to capture the other three-year-old pacing colt Gold division. Starting from Post 6 Sharp Acton Money got away seventh and tipped into the outer lane where he watched as four different horses rotated onto the front end. At the three-quarters, sitting three and one-half lengths off the pace in fifth, driver Sylvain Filion shifted Sharp Action Money into overdrive and the gelding sprinted home in :27.3 to claim a one-half length victory over Sports Legend and Taste Of History.
“This horse has been racing really, really good, I wasn’t just able to give him the right trip, and tonight fortunately we were able to get the right trip,” said Filion from the winner’s circle. “When I saw a bunch of leavers I took back, got a third-over, and it worked out pretty good.”
Milton resident Filion crafted the trip for trainer Murray Brethour of Sunderland and his partners Tony Basile of Toronto and Dan Sarafian of Unionville, Ontario. The win was the Sportswriter son’s second of the season and his first in Ontario Sires Stakes action.
Ontario Sires Stakes excitement continues at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday, June 25 with two Gold Series divisions for the three-year-old trotting fillies. The program gets under way at 7:30 p.m. and the fillies will compete in Races 3 and 8.
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To view results for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park.