The picturesque Delaware County Fairgrounds, located in America’s heartland at Delaware, Ohio, will be the focus of attention of the harness racing world on Thursday afternoon (Friday morning EST).
The Fairgrounds’ half-mile oval will host the 77th edition of the prestigious Little Brown Jug, the third leg of the Pacing Triple Crown for three-year-old colts and geldings and one of the gems of the Grand Circuit.
It will be held with a pair of $50,000 eliminations and a $541,550 final on the same day.
Jug Week showcases many of North America’s leading pacers and trotters competing for rich purses over five days of outstanding harness racing action. A crowd of around 45,000 is expected to attend on Jug Day.
Sadly, there will be no Triple Crown champion this year as the first two legs, the $260,000 The Messenger, held at Yonkers Raceway, New York, and the $275,000 Cane Pace, run at The Meadowlands, New Jersey, produced different winners.
Pleaseletmeknow, an American Ideal gelding, took out The Messenger, while the Somebeachsomewhere colt Beach Glass, the ruling favourite for the Jug and the richest three-year-old of the season, won the Cane.
Pebble Beach (by Downbytheseaside), the reigning North America Cup winner, will be among the leading contenders.
The Little Brown Jug has been won by the who’s who of American harness racing since its inception in 1946. Past winners include Wiggle It Jiggleit (2015), Bettor’s Delight (2001), Nihilator (1985), Niatross (1980), Most Happy Fella (1970), Bret Hanover (1965), Adios Butler (1959), Tar Heel (1951) and Good Time (1949).
Besides Bettor’s Delight, the leading Australian sire since 2012 and now the sire of two Jug winners, there has been a host of Little Brown Jug winners to make a real impact at the stud ‘down under’.
The list includes Fake Left (1992),who topped the Australian sires’ list for seven consecutive seasons, the dual premier sire Armbro Operative (1996), Rock N Roll Heaven (2010), Well Said (2009), Shadow Play (2008), Mr Feelgood (2006), Blissfull Hall (1999), Life Sign (1993), Beach Towel (1990) and Overtrick (1963).