Thinkbig Dreambig scored the biggest victory of his harness racing career with a surprise triumph in the $400,000 Carl Milstein Memorial for three-year-old pacers Saturday at Northfield Park in Ohio.
The even money favorite, Lather Up, tried leaving right away in the 11th race feature for driver Montrell Teague, but broke stride on the first turn and had to take back and get on stride again.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Freight and driver Louis-Philippe Roy, who started from the rail, shot right to the lead with Thinkbig Dreambig and driver Jordan Stratton following in second place as they went by the opening quarter mile in an easy :27.4.
Lather Up had then come back into the hunt, first-over, but again broke stride and was out of the race.
Jimmy Freight then led the field to the half mile marker in :55.3 as Dorsoduro Hanover and driver Matt Kakaley came first-over with Springsteen (David Miller) following the outside flow second-over.
Going past the three-quarters in 1:22.3, it was still Jimmy Freight on the lead with Thinkbig Dreambig sitting on their back and on the final turn driver Jordan Stratton decided to come to the outside and Thinkbig Dreambig was able to collar Jimmy Freight before the wire to win by a long neck in 1:50. Minnie Vinnie (Aaron Merriman) was third.
It was the fifth win in ten starts for Thinkbig Dreambig, who is trained by Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter and is owned by Brixton Medical, Inc. of NJ, John Fielding of ON and G.N. Anderberg of Sweden. He paid $17.00 to win.
A three-year-old colt by Bettor’s Delight, Thinkbig Dreambig was bred by Kentuckiana Farms of KY.
Thinkbig Dreambig
Interview
By Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink