Nansemond's Upset of Albatross Voted All Time Greatest Jug Upset

DELAWARE, OH--Although it occurred over 35 years ago, Nansemond's three heat epic battle with Albatross remains in the minds of many and was voted as the greatest upset in Little Brown Jug history according to a poll of harness racing officials, media and fans.  Fake Lefts upset of Western Hanover in 1992 was picked as the second biggest upset.

     Albatross, trained and driven by the late Stanley Dancer, was such an overwhelming favorite for the 1971 Jug he was barred from the betting in both his elimination and the second heat.  The reigning two-year-old champion, Albatross already had won the Cane and Messenger, which together with the Jug form pacings Triple Crown.   Only a second place finish on May 18 at Roosevelt Raceway marred his otherwise perfect record at three. 

     Nansemond, trained and driven by Herve Filion, was inactive from July 16 to September 11 with a checked ligament in his right leg and his only pre-Jug victories came in the Hanover and Simpson Stakes. However, an astute handicapper might have noticed Nansemond's second place finish to Albatross in the Messenger Stake. 

     One voter,  R.W. Perkins of Atlanta, remembers there wasn't  too much doubt about the result among the thousands of fans who had gathered on that sunny afternoon in late September.  I remember dad telling me on the way from Dayton to Delaware that morning, that the only way Albatross could lose would be to fall down. 

     Nansemond made Albatross race for his very life in the first elimination.  The two colts battled each other every step of the mile, Albatross finishing a nose in front 1:58 1/5.   In the second heat Nansemond surged by Albatross in the homestretch and won by a comfortable length in 1:57 2/5.

     Dancer had no excuses after the second heat.   He just got tired. That's why they call it racing.  Filion said, I thought I had a good shot.  I just kept yelling at my horse in French and English, he’s bilingual, you know. I was just so happy to win one heat of the Jug.

     Nansemond drew the rail for the final heat and Filion didn't hesitate to take advantage of his luck.  The colt hugged the rail all the way in the raceoff and held off Albatross by three-quarters of a length at the wire, establishing a new world record for four heats divided, 7:58 3/5. 

     It was a heartbreaking loss, recalled Dancer more than 20 years later. There have been other great horses (that) got beat, but it's not so easy to shake off a defeat like that.  It still hurts.

     Albatross did not lose again in 1971 and was voted Horse of the Year in both 1971 and 1972. 

Fake Left's victory over Western Hanover has several similarities as the Nansemond victory.

Western Hanover, trained by Greenville, Ohio native Gene Riegle, was the two-year-old champion and like Albatross, had already won the Cane and Messenger.

     Fake Left had won only two of his first 13 starts in the east before his late trainer George Sholty shipped him to Indianapolis, Springfield and Du Quoin.  I got him away from up there and got him on the mile tracks, on the dirt with a different field of horses.  He got good and he's continued to stay good.   However, Fake Left finished seventh in a division of the Jug Preview at Scioto Downs in his final pre-Jug performance.  I can't put that race together, said Sholty.

     Fake Left was driven by Ron Waples, a last minute substitute for Mickey McNichol, who was injured in a race earlier that same day.  Western Hanover was driven by Bill Fahy and both of the two colts drew into the third elimination. 

  Fake Left, at odds of 9-1, held off  1-5 favorite Western Hanover by a neck to capture the elimination.  In the second heat Western Hanover ground out a victory, scoring by a neck over Fake Left.  In the raceoff,  Fake Left  left from post two and took the early lead and forced Western Hanover into the second spot on the rail.  Western Hanover looked to be locked on the rail until daylight appeared just past the three-quarter pole.   Western Hanover still trailed at the head of the stretch but in two strides he was even, if not ahead.  But Fake Left  refused to quit, and  Cam Fella colt, who  had shown no fight earlier in the year certainly was full of fight down the stretch.  When the judges called for a print of the finish, it showed that Fake Left had won by inches.

     For Riegle the Western Hanover defeat was another  bitter disappointment.  In 1972, Gene's colt Jay Time became ill several days before the race and performed poorly . In 1991 Riegle's world champion Artsplace became ill the week before the Jug and did not start.

     A total of 12 different Jug races were nominated in our poll.  Next in order, 1975 (Seatrain), 1978 (Happy Escort), 1981 (Fan Hanover), 1987 (Jaguar Spur), 2005 (P Forty Seven), 2006 (Mr Feelgood), 2000 (Astreos), 1995 (Nick's Fantasy), 1988 (BJ Scoot) and 1993 (Life Sign).