By Tom White
July 17, 2002 

Delaware, Ohio--Eight horses with records of 1:50 or faster and five with

earnings of more than $1 million are among the 28 pacers who are expected to

race in the $107,300 Magical Mike Pace on Jug Day afternoon at the Delaware,

Ohio County Fair.

    The Magical Mike is named for 1994 Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown

winner who stands at stud at Blue Chip Farms in New York State.  The Magical

Mike is designed for pacers ages four and up and will be raced Thursday

afternoon, September 19 during Delaware's Grand Circuit week.

    The five millionaires are Gallo Blue Chip (1:48.4, $3,926,946), Real

Desire (1:48.3, $2,325,324), Royalflush Hanover (1:49.3, $2,120,902),

Comotion (1:48.3, $1,593,360) and Goliath Bayama ($1,503,428).

    Four Starzz Shark (1:49.3, $950,616) isn't a millionaire, yet, but he

defeated Real Desire and Gallo Blue Chip in the division's richest race, the

$650,000 Haughton Memorial at The Meadowlands. Life Source (1:48.4,

($546,651) captured the $250,000 Pacing Classic and Camotion won the 

$300,000 Graduate. Lotsa Clout (1:50, $781,342) rounds out the group of

pacers with 1:50 or faster records.

    Next up for the Magical Mike group are Saturday's $50,000 Breeders Crown

elimination and the $500,000 Breeders Crown Final on July 27 at The

Meadowlands.

    Delaware officials and Thomas J. Walsh, Jr., co-owner of Magical Mike,

reestablished the Magical Mike Pace after an absence of one year. A total of

$65,000 will be added to the event and the agreement guarantees the

continuation of the race through 2005. Among past winners of the race, first 

raced in 1995, are Jenna's Beach Boy, Stand Forever and Jet Laag.

    Magical Mike p,2,1:51.4; 3,1:50.2 ($1,682,085) is the only two-year-old

to win both the Woodrow Wilson and Governor'Cup and was voted "Two-Year-Old

Pacer of the Year" in 1993. At three, Magical Mike captured the Jug, Breeders

Crown, Oliver Wendell Holmes and heats of the Tattersalls Pace and North

America Cup. At stud, he is the sire of Gallo Blue Chip, the richest pacer in

the history of harness racing.

Click here for more information on the Road to the Magical Mike.