Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — Jim Thompson’s family has been involved in harness racing for nearly 70 years and Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund finalist Go Jetem can trace his roots back to the start.

Go Jetem, a homebred 3-year-old male trotter, hails from a maternal line that has been bred by the Thompsons dating back to the early 1950s, when dairy farmer Ralph Thompson purchased his first horse, Almeda Maud. Following her racing career, Ralph bred Almeda Maud and many of her line’s subsequent offspring. Five generations later Go Jetem carries on the family’s success.

Go Jetem has won both his DSBF elims this year at Dover with Art Stafford Jr. driving. Fotowon photo.

“He always had an interest in the horses,” Jim Thompson said of Ralph, who was his grandfather. “My father (Carl) was a lifelong horseman too. Saturday afternoons and Sundays were for going to the matinee races and that kind of stuff. When grandpop got somewhat successful, he bought this horse and had become friends with Luthor Lyons of Adios Harry fame. That’s who had this first horse for him.

“After her, they started training at home (in Delaware). A couple of my father’s brothers were involved. It was in 1950 or ’51, they had their first horses ready to go to the racetrack. My father was the only one that wasn’t married, he was the horseman, so he went to Rosecroft with the stable.”

Go Jetem is a son of He’s Spooky out of the Thompsons’ Special Mist, who herself was a DSBF champion in 2004. The family also includes DSBF champ Twilight Mist as well as Velvet Mist, who was a standout on the New Jersey fairs circuit, and former world-record-holder Calyjaba.

“That whole family has been pretty prolific,” Thompson said. “You always hit the dud in there but there’s a bunch of $200,000 and $300,000 winners in that family.”

Go Jetem was bred and races under the Thompsons’ Mist Stable banner. While Jim and his parents run the show, Jim’s son Jason is also involved. After Jim trained Go Jetem last year, he turned him over to Jason this season.

The horse had some lameness issues as a 2-year-old but managed to win a DSBF elimination at both Harrington Raceway and Dover Downs. This year he won both his DSBF elims at Dover with Art Stafford Jr. driving.

For his career, Go Jetem has won four of nine races and earned $59,600.

“He’s little bit peculiar,” Thompson said. “I’ve got to give a lot of the credit for what success he has had to Art Stafford Jr. We get tremendous feedback from him as a driver and that’s extremely important with these young horses.

“In the barn he’s just a normal horse, just goes about his work, so far so good. That’s about all I can say there. (On the track) he doesn’t have a lot of gate speed; he’s cut a couple miles but the fractions weren’t real strong at the beginning. He’s better off if he can see a horse during the mile.”

Go Jetem will start Monday’s (April 1) $100,000 DSBF final at Dover Downs from post eight. Embrace The Grind, also a two-time elimination winner, will leave from post one with Jonathan Roberts driving for trainer Bobby Glassmeyer. It is one of two DSBF finals on the Monday card at Dover, along with the $100,000 event for 3-year-old filly trotters.

“He’s racing good, he’s racing strong,” Thompson said about Go Jetem. “He hasn’t run into a couple of the best ones yet. They’ve been in the other divisions both times so that’s still somewhat of an unknown there, as to how he’ll be able to handle them.”

One thing is certain. Being from the Almeda Maud family line, he will give it his all.

“It seems like they can all trot,” Thompson said. “Some of them are just a bit faster than the other ones. We never had the ones that were just no good, they’ve always left something.”