Certainly Maryland racegoers have not forgotten Come On Fred either.

During his career, he won 39 of 156 starts and banked nearly $293,000 but his efforts on the track were far more definitive than his statistical accomplishments, which explains his popularity 13 years after his career finale.

Not blessed with good early speed, Come On Fred did most of his racing from well off the pace, which during his prime was demanding, especially at Rosecroft, which was then a half-mile track.  Its tight turns and short stretches were naturally conducive to horses with good early speed, something Come On Fred lacked.

Nevertheless, Come On Fred managed to win 22 of 82 starts at Rosecroft, finishing second 24 times and third 12 times.  In 1976, at age 2, Come on Fred's racing career began at Rosecroft and ended there in 1985, at age 11.

Officially, Come On Fred made his career debut on July 23, 1976.  After trailing through most of the race, he passed two foes late to finish fifth.  Come On Fred was 22 lengths behind BGs Bunny, who later became one of the sport's top sires.

Two starts later on Aug. 12, Come On Fred garnered his first career victory downing maiden rivals by four lengths in 2 minutes, 9.1 seconds, a time that would not meet qualifying standards today.  He concluded his freshman campaign with one win in five starts.

At age 3, Come On Fred began to show signs of promise.  He won his sophomore debut in 2:04.1.  Six starts later, he captured the $10,000 John W. Miller Memorial Final by a nose in 2:01.  He overcame post position eight that night and wore down favored High Potential following a stirring stretch battle.

"He really started getting good toward the middle of his 3-year-old year," Uebel recalled.  "He took a new mark nearly every time he won.  Then he won the Miller from far back and first over.  That race really showed me just how good Fred was."

After winning eight of 20 starts at age 3, Come On Fred won 7 of 27 outings as a 4-year-old in 1978.  It proved to be a disheartening year for Uebel, who was replaced as Fred's driver through much of the campaign by Buddy Bright following a May 20 racing accident.

In 14 starts, Bright managed to guide Come On Fred to victory once but the temperamental pacer quickly regained his winning ways after being reunited with Uebel at Rosecroft's fall meet.

After regaining his rightful place in the bike behind Come On Fred, Uebel steered Rhoades' pacer to four straight wins, three of them in first-over fashion.  He won the Preferred three straight weeks, lowered his lifetime mark to 1:59.4 and also became forever linked with then Rosecroft announcer Billy Perkins.

Looking to liven up each race call, Perkins became far more animated when he got to Come On Fred during his race.  He would bellow "Come Onnnnnnnnnn Fred!" which worked the crowd, often 7,000 fans in those days, into a frenzy.

"I always felt that, as an announcer, I could entertain as well as call a race," Perkins once said.  "I would pick up on certain horses and the crowd would go away happy."

"When Billy called the races here, the crowd would go crazy," Uebel recalled.  "Fred was the talk of the track each week.  Even today, people remember him and they always imitate Billy's calls."

		Come On Fred spent nearly his entire 5-year-old campaign in the Preferred at Rosecroft and the Invitational at Laurel (later Freestate) facing the likes of Mandys Good Friday, Sonnet Chip, Kings Empress,  Maximum Hanover and Eric J. Come On Fred only won five of 19 starts that year but was second on seven occasions, four of which were narrow setbacks.  He lost by a nose once, a head once and twice by a neck, losing to four different foes. "He may not have been the most talented horse to race, but he was one of the gamest," Uebel said.  "Each week, he was first or second over, which is a tough place to win from, especially on a half-mile track."
Come On Fred in the winners circle at Freestate Raceway

Toward the end of his 5-year-old season, Come On Fred also showed the public his less reputable side.  In his last two starts, he simply failed to finish, a quirk that would later end his career a little prematurely.

"There's no doubt that 'Fred' had a mind of his own.  You couldn't tell him what to do on the track.  He told you what he was going to do and you couldn't fight with him.  Most of the time he wanted to race, but sometimes he would stop," Uebel said.  "I felt bad for the public when he did that but there was nothing I could do."

As a 6-year-old in 1980, Come On Fred, still had plenty of desire.  Once again, he spent nearly the entire year racing Preferred foes at Rosecroft and Invitational rivals at Freestate and after chasing Mandys Good Friday the year before, he had another female nemesis - Funnyman's Lashout.  A Nansemond mare trained by Mary Ann Callahan and driven by Vic White, Funnyman's Lashout possessed superb early speed, which gave her a tactical advantage over Come On Fred at Rosecroft and Freestate.

At Rosecroft, Funnyman's Lashout proved virtually invincible downing the boys three times in a four-week span while twice breaking the track record.  She won in 1:58.2 on May 10, then erased that mark three weeks later when she whipped Come On Fred by five lengths in 1:58.

But when the scene shifted to Freestate for the summer, Come On Fred regained his winning ways, capturing the June 28 and July 5 Invitationals.  But on July 19 and July 26, Come On Fred came up a nose shy of Funnyman's Lashout prompting racing secretary Dick O'Donnell to have them in a winner-take-all match race.

On Aug. 4 1980, Come On Fred and Funnyman's Lashout met in the first match race in Maryland harness racing history.  For 3/4 of a mile, both horses gave the fans an unexpected thrill, dueling side-by-side through fast fractions of :29, :57.2, 1:25.4.

Despite being parked the entire journey, Come On Fred put his head in front of Funnyman's Lashout turning for home and appeared headed for a mild upset.  Then suddenly, Come On Fred made a bad break and Funnyman's Lashout cruised home to a track record 1:56.2 victory.

"I found out early that 'Fred' liked to see the starting gate outside of him," Uebel said.  "That night the car followed us to the top of the stretch.  But when it stopped, Fred stopped."

Come On Fred ended his 6-year-old season by capturing the final Invitational of the Freestate meet to conclude his season with a 5-11-5 slate from 29 starts.  With earnings of $52,000, but the best was yet to come.

Like a fine wine, Come On Fred continued to improve with age and at age 7 would enjoy his finest campaign.  Come On Fred eventually posted a 6-6-6 slate from 28 outings and banked over $90,000.  But the numbers barely scratch the surface of his success.

Throughout much of his career, Come On Fred enjoyed the bulk of his success competing in Maryland.  But in 1981, half of Come On Fred's races were in other states, simply because local horses refused to compete against him.

"After he won his second start at Rosecroft, Billy Perkins told me that he couldn't get anyone to race against me, so I had to take him somewhere else," Uebel said.

Following a March 7 victory at Rosecroft, Come On Fred spent the next three months racing at The Meadowlands in that track's Open, considered the toughest overnight event in the country.  He only won one of 12 tries at The Meadowlands, but he only failed to earn a check once.

"That trip took a little bit out of him," Uebel said.  "It was four hours up and four hours back.  But fortunately Fred was a good shipper, you hardly knew he was back there."

Coincidentally, Come On Fred's only Meadowlands victory was May 9, 1981, exactly 17 years before Rosecroft paid tribute to him.  In that event, he was parked first over nearly the entire mile and prevailed by a neck in 1:57.

"I'm pretty sure he never saw the wood that night," Uebel said.  "He liked to chase the patrol car up there.  When he saw those other horses (Sure Show and JD's Buck) move alongside him, he just dug in."

On one trip to The Meadowlands, Uebel and Rhoades realised the extent of Come On Fred's popularity since he traveled in a trailer bearing his name.

"We were halfway up the turnpike one day and this car pulled alongside up beeping his horn," Uebel recalled.  "When I rolled down my window, the driver asked if Come On Fred was in the trailer.  I yelled back 'that's him' and the driver smiled and said 'Well I'll be damned!'"

Come On Fred returned to Maryland for the Freestate meet, winning one of two starts.  Come On Fred then went to Brandywine and finished second once and third once in two starts.  Then he returned to Freestate for his finest hour.

Although Come On Fred made more money ($15,000) by wining the Open at The Meadowlands, his status as a local legend was forever cemented on July 25, 1981, when he rallied to defeat Rambling Willie.

While Come On Fred had made his name locally, Rambling Willie was a national star, the closest thing harness racing had to a household name since the great Dan Patch.  Dubbed "The Horse that God Loved" since a portion of his winnings went to a church, Rambling Willie would eventually retire as the port's richest pacer with over $2 million banked.  But on that one summer night, it was Come On Fred who appeared blessed.

Fittingly, Come On Fred and Rambling Willie started right alongside one another, in posts four and five, respectively.  They would finish side by side but during the race they were separated by their rivals.

While Come On Fred was reserved well of the pace in his customary fashion, Rambling Willie left alertly and gained command from Canceled through the first turn, getting the opening quarter in 28.4 seconds.

Rambling Willie led the field through the clubhouse turn and past the half in :59.1, at which point Come On Fred angled off the rail and had the unenviable task of trying to wear down Rambling Willie from first over.

But midway down the backside, Come On Fred received a little assistance.  Ralph Holloway steered Canceled out of the pocket and sent him after Rambling Willie, a huge tactical mistake considering that he was getting a perfect trip behind the best horse in the field.

Rambling Willie battled with Canceled briefly.  Then Willie's driver, Bob Farrington, elected to let Canceled take the lead from his as they approached the three-quarter mark.  In the meantime, Come On Fred was grinding his way toward the leaders.

Canceled led the field through the far turn, then Rambling Willie came out of the pocket and seized command at the top of the lane.  By this time, Come On Fred had gathered his momentum and Rambling Willie would need divine intervention to outlast him.

Amid the deafening roar of the 9,209 fans on hand, Rambling Willie and Come On Fred battled side-by-side through the length of the stretch.  At the wire, it was Fred who prevailed by a neck in 1:57.

"I know Rambling Willie got used hard that night but Fred was awfully good," Uebel recalled.  "Winning that race in front of all those people was a great thrill.  He was a great horse.  When we beat him, that was special."

Five weeks later, Come On Fred would garner his final win of the year at Ocean Downs in that track's closing night feature.  For much of the race, Uebel doubted he would win.

"We were last going into the far turn and Fred really didn't seem that interested," Uebel recalled.  "We were still five lengths back at the top of the stretch, so I reached up and cracked him one time with the whip.  By the time we hit the turn (after the wire), we were five lengths in front."

As an 8-year-old in 1982, Come On Fred still showed signs of normalcy, winning 6 of 14 starts, including five straight Preferreds at Freestate.  But he also behaved oddly at times, failing to finish three races including one outing at Brandywine where he stopped, turned and sprinted off in the wrong direction.

In 1983, Come On Fred only won once in 12 starts, all of them at Rosecroft.  Toward the end of the year, he continued to display his rather unusual behavior of simply stopping before the end of the race," Uebel said.

On April 16, 1983, Come On Fred collected his 39th and final career victory in the Invitational Handicap at Rosecroft.  Uebel calls the race Fred's most memorable, not because it was his last victory but because he managed to upset a talented pacer named Irish Jimmy.

"They brought Irish Jimmy here to give him an easy race," Uebel said.  "Then they were going to syndicate him for $5 million.  But Fred beat him that night and the deal fell through."

Irish Jimmy started from the rail and went directly to the front, then set modest fractions of :29.3, 1:00.2 and 1:30.2 for the first three calls.  In the meantime, Come On Fred had been reserved early, then he grinded his way abreast of Irish Jimmy down the backside."

Turning for home, Come On Fred, drew alongside Irish Jimmy, then Keystone Famous moved up outside of Fred, at which point the aged pacer shifted gears and surged past Irish Jimmy for a neck sore.

"When Roger (Hammer) steered Keystone Famous outside of Fred at the top of the lane, it was good-bye Irish Jimmy," Uebel said.

After beating Irish Jimmy, Come On Fred's career ended in rather unceremonious fashion.  He failed to finish his last two races that year, then made only one start in both 1984 and 1985 and failed to finish either of those races.  At age 11, Come On Fred's career officially ended.

It's been 13 years after his last race and 15 years after his last victory, but Come On Fred remains the popular horse in Maryland harness racing history.

(Ted Black, Special to The Journal, The Sunday Journal, May 17, 1998)

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