‘Jug’ week co-features loom boldly

Some of the season’s top trotters and pacers from divisions other than the two featured in the Jugette and Little Brown Jug battle for cash and prestige during the Delaware, Ohio meet’s biggest days of racing, Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. 

Earlier in the Jugette program on Sept. 19, soph-filly trotters go in two $51,000 divisions of the Buckette. The first division has eight relatively unknown division members, with a soft early choice, Oasis Dream.  

We offer a shot with Miss Fidget, Ed Lohmeyer’s filly driven here by John Campbell. The filly’s last race was marred by a break but coming off of five races at five different tracks she was sent off in a classy state-bred at Yonkers at 7-2. We feel she will be dismissed by bettors while still deserving a shot in a field not swarming with talent, to say the least.  

In Buckette two, the magnificent Maven may very well snap a track record with Yannick Gingras pumping her from start to finish. She appears to out-class this field by a mile, making it difficult to play against her to win. As a key, you may want to hook her up with Miss Chip K, who danced with the femme stars in the filly Zweig and was a close third. 

On Sept. 20, soph-colt trotters charge in The Old Oaken Bucket. There are only eight colts here and none of them have seen their names on the marquee during main events for the division. So, the $125,800 purse should be making them and their connections drool. 

The public choice will be Fusion Man, coming off of a major Kentucky state-bred final, his second win in a row at The Red Mile. Jeff Smith’s colt has done little wrong in eight races this season, though he has not taken on the best of the breed. 

Frost Bites K, however, has been in the thick of the top colts this season and though he failed to get a berth in the Hambletonian he has readily taken on that group. His most recent win is at the Meadows where he was overlooked at 14-1. Post 7 in a field of eight could turn some people off, which is great for the win price.  

Older trotting mares take the forefront in the $153,000 Ms Versatility Final. This thin division still has some kick to it, but at this point in the season, which ones are the outsiders? 

Cedar Dove will probably indulge in driver Ron Pierce’s urging to get to the top early but a lot of people will be concerned considering the mare’s last two races. She quit in both, although last week she did have an excuse. Beatgoeson Hanover was awesome at Vernon, passing Cedar Dove. However, pulling off that trip on this oval is not so easy. As well, Action-Broadway was also in that mix, hanging badly to finish fifth.  

The dangerous speed is Frenchfysnvinegar. Should she out-gun Cedar Dove to the top or be quick enough from post 7 to get a spot second, she will make a three-quarters move that will be filled with trot from saving ground. That is the scenario to follow considering most bettors will dismiss this speedy seven-year-old. 

Keep up with the top horses in the divisions racing to the Crown at the Breeders Crown Countdown and read archived result stories at Hambletonian Society and get your account at TwinSpires to keep up with all the great harness bets.

 

Cartoon by Thom Pye

 

Little Brown Jug presents eligible-filled elims

The 2011 Little Brown Jug field may look a bit short with only two elim heats and a dozen horses entered but both of those fields are filled with Breeders Crown eligibles.  

The Jugette, however, has a quartet of entries ineligible to the “Crown.”  

Each elim heat for the “Jug” is worth $84,288.  

The first elim finds the event’s morning-line favorite, hometown-pacer Big Bad John (Western Hanover), trained by Ron Potter and driven by David Miller in post 2, just outside of the rail horse, Something For Doc (Western Hanover). In the 3 hole is Powerful Mist (Powerful Toy), followed by Foreclosure N (Rocknroll Hanover), Custard The Dragon (Dragon Again) and High Noon (Western Ideal).  

All of these colts, with the exception of “Doc,” have battled one another in major stakes and “John” has been less than domineering with them. The most overlooked, usually, is “Custard,” who we correctly chose to win two of his highest-paying wins. Of the group, he is the best bet to defeat John. Post 5 may not be a big problem for Custard, even on the four-turn mile.  

The best thing about Custard, though, is the fact that after a few losses and being up against the hometown choice, he could go off at juicy odds, even in this small field.  

The second elim will have some odds issues. The 4, Betterwithcheddar (Bettor’s Delight), supplemented to the event and winner of the Cane Pace, will be sharing favoritism with the 6, Up The Credit (Western Terror) and the 5, Roll With Joe (Cam’s Card Shark).  

The three probable favorites will have to negotiate good trips coming from the outside three posts. This leaves the 1, Rollwithitharry (Rocknroll Hanover), a chance to take advantage of the wood as well as the inside down the stretch the final time. But if he maintains the lead after taking it early, he could force the others wide and make them tired.  

For the Jugette, with each elim worth  $58,470, we have two fields where four fillies are non-eligible to the Crown.  

Although Idyllic (in elim one) is the event favorite, that may be based on a peculiar mile, the one where she handed See You At Peelers an historic first loss. Idyllic (American Ideal), who we had supported through the season, got a good deal that day, with “Peelers” racing too fast early from a bad post and, as we know now, showing signs of a condition that now leaves her on the sidelines until further notice.  

Even if Idyllic wins the first elim, which includes hopefuls Tu Sei Bella (Bettor’s Delight), Myluvmylife (Rocknroll Hanover) and non-eligibles What’s New Pussycat and Latin Lyric, we feel that Pretty Katherine (Rocknroll Hanover) from elim two will win the event. 

The second elim also includes eligibles Roclamation (Rocknroll Hanover), Strike An Attitude (Western Hanover) and Swinging Beauty (Art Major), along with Musette Mindale and Rackratese. 

To defy Idyllic in the first round, judge the value of Myluvmylife for a wager. In the second round, key “Katherine” in exotics if her odds come up short. 

Check here before Sept. 22 for some contender news in other Jug-day events.

See Hambletonian Society for archives and other news as the countdown to the Crown ensues.