by Ellen Harvey, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — Trainer Taylor Gower has traveled a long road with pacer Freddy Day Hanover, who is in the $62,600 Clyde Hirt series final at the Meadowlands on Saturday (Jan. 29). Gower has trained the 4-year-old since owner Sam Demchak purchased the son of Artiscape for $15,000 at the New Jersey Classic Sale as a yearling.

Until recently, Freddy Day Hanover was a work in not-too-much progress. His 3-year-old season was 2-for-29, with $43,340 in earnings, most of those in off-the-board finishes in the New York Sire Stakes. But this year, things are looking up. Freddy Day Hanover has a win in conditioned company, along with a fourth and fast-closing second in the first two legs of the Hirt series. In his most recent start, he paced the last quarter fastest of all, in :27, at 22-1 odds to finish second to Meirs Hanover.

Gower thinks there’s reason for optimism.

“Absolutely,” he said. “He surprises me every time he races. I had lost some confidence in him as a 3-year-old, but he really looks good as of late. As a 2-year-old, he got injured close to the season, so he missed his 2-year-old year. We brought him back as a 3-year-old and he would make breaks; it was really kind of a headache getting him straightened away. When we finally figured out his issues, he was a step behind everyone else.

“We went through the whole year and it turned out, he just wanted to be a gelding,” Gower added, laughing. “Once we gelded him (in early summer 2010), it was almost immediate. He started pacing all the time and not making breaks. The problem was, he was just a step behind by the second or third sire stakes and he just couldn’t catch up with the other boys. He came back and he’s kind of on an even par with the group he’s racing with. Each time, I kind of still hold my breath when he goes behind the gate. When you have a pacer that races really good and then makes a break, you’re never sure.”

Freddy Day Hanover has a win and three second-place finishes in seven starts at the Meadowlands.

“He’s just the easiest horse in the world right now,” Gower said. “He doesn’t hardly train at all. He goes out and jogs and goes out in the field every day. When he gets to the racetrack, he goes out there and looks really sharp.

“It looks like he’s got a super shot this weekend.”

Summer Camp, trained by Josh Green and driven by Andy Miller, won his first two legs in the Hirt series and has won six in a row dating to last year and seven of his last eight. Summer Camp is owned by Larry Baron and VIP Internet Stables.

Highland Rocks and Sniper Seelster also won Hirt first-round divisions.

Ron Pierce will drive Freddy Day Hanover in the final. He will be Freddy Day Hanover’s fourth different driver at the Big M.

“If (Freddy Day Hanover) can sit close to some of the other horses out there and go at them late, it seems like he’s got the guts to fight it out with him,” Gower said. “It’s just been a little tough to fight it out with them. We’ve been having a little trouble finding a driver for him every week. Jimmy Marohn’s done a great job with him and Andy Miller did a good job with him. It’s just tough sticking with one guy up at the Meadowlands right now.”

Here is the field in post position order: Buckeye In Charge, No Monkeys Allowed, Freddy Day Hanover, Royal Cam-Hall, Diablo Seelster, Sniper Seelster, Highland Rocks, Meirs Hanover, Touch The Rock, and Summer Camp.