Quarter Carat, Artesian, Art's Chip Among Weekend Winners

By Tom White
5/27/2003

Delaware, Ohio--Jug colts are coming from everywhere!!! Quarter Carat wins $148,772 Max Hempt Memorial at Pocono Downs; Artesian captures a$25,000 elimination for the $500,000 New Jersey Classic at The Meadowlands; Totally Western finishes fourth in his 2003 debut (timed in 1:51.4) at Woodbine; and unheralded Art's Chip scores  an impressive 1:53.3 overnight win at The Red Mile.

Next up for Jug eligibles is Friday's $500,000 Hoosier Cup at Hoosier Park and the $500,000 New Jersey Classic on Saturday at The Meadowlands. The 58th Little Brown Jug is Thursday afternoon, September 18 at the Delaware, Ohio County Fair.

Quarter Carat turned the tables on Brando Blue Chip in Saturday's Hempt Memorial. With Daniel Dube driving for trainer John McDermott, the Real Artist colt grabbed the lead soon after the field passed the quarter mile mark and repelled all challengers to win by a head in 1:53.1 over non-Jug eligible Brando Blue Chip and Hale Hylight, who is a Jug hopeful. The victory was the colt's fifth of the season. Beach Towel, in 1990, was the only Hempt winner to capture the Little Brown Jug. However, such top champions like Jenna's Beach Boy, Cam's Card Shark and Presidential Ball are previous Hempt champions.

Artesian, the winner of the $275,000 Berry's Creek Final on May 10, held-off Jug eligibles Crystal Art and Top Flight for a neck decision in the first of three NJ Classic elims. "He's a perfect little horse, he's willing, has good gate speed and came home well," said driver Luc Ouellette. The Artiscape colt won in 1:51.3 and is trained by Sam DePinto. Non-Jug eligible Cam's Primetime won the second elim in 1:50.2 over Jug hopefuls General Challenge, Dream Wave and The Globe. The third elim was also taken by a non-Jug colt Radar Gun. A Jug eligible, Raisencain Hanover, finished third and qualified for next Saturday's Final.

Art's Chip, who made only one start at two because of injuries, won  his third straight at The Red Mile over Best Of Keene in 1:53.3. Mark Evers drives the Artsplace colt who suffered a hairline fracture of a hind leg in the Simpson Memorial last July 5 at Hoosier Park and stood in a stall for four months. Evers, who calls Art's Chip "the real deal," will race the colt in Friday's Hoosier Cup.

Totally Western, one of last season's top juveniles, paced his own mile in 1:51.4 in his 2003 debut. "He raced great," said trainer and co-owner Ben Wallace. "I wish we could have got some better qualifiers in before tonight, but he raced perfect." Wallace hopes to get one more race in before the $100,000 Burlington Stakes on June 7 at Woodbine." He's going into the Burlington and North America Cup a fresh horse. That's what we need and we're happy for him."