Road To The Jug

Competitive Group Of Three-Year-Olds Adds To Suspense Of 58th Little Brown Jug

By Tom White
7/17/2003

Delaware, Ohio-- Allamerican Theory's 1:49.3 upset victory in Saturday's $1-million Meadowlands Pace shows clearly the competitiveness of this year's group of three-year-old pacers. With the Little Brown Jug only two months away, no colt has stepped to the forefront in the division. The 58th Jug will be raced Thursday, September 18 at the Delaware, Ohio County Fair.

North America Cup winner Yankee Cruiser was third in his Meadowlands Pace elimination and sixth in the Final. Juvenile champion Allamerican Native, who dead-heated for second with Artesian in the NA Cup Final, broke stride early in his Pace elim and failed to qualify for the Final. However, Allamerican Native won the $100,000 Consolation in 1:49.4.

Whatanartist, who won his Meadowlands Pace elimination in 1:49, was a tiring seventh in the Final. Artesian did not even qualify for the Pace Final while Armbro Animate was a strong second to Allamerican Theory. Breeders Crown champion Totally Western, after winning his NA Cup elim, was scratched from the Final with a stress fracture of a pastern bone.

Next up on the road to the Jug are Saturday's eliminations for the $300,000 American-National at Balmoral Park and the $350,000 Art Rooney at Yonkers.

Is Cane Pace Best Jug Predictor?

The Cane Pace has produced the most Little Brown Jug winners of all the major three-year-old pacing events.

Fifteen Cane winners have gone on to win the Little Brown Jug including Blissfull Hall in 1999. Other recent Cane-Jug winners were Shady Character (1998) and Western Dreamer (1997).

Only three North American Cup winners and four winners of the Meadowlands Pace found success at Delaware. Bettor's Delight in 2001 is a recent NA Cup-Jug champion. Precious Bunny, in 1991, is the last Meadowlands Pace champion to win the Jug. Precious Bunny is also the last of 10 Adios winners to turn the trick.

Nine American-National winners, including Blissfull Hall in 1999, captured the Jug while only four Art Rooney winners added the Delaware Classic to their win columns, the last being Shady Character in 1998.

Astreos, in 2000, was the last of five Oliver Wendell Holmes winners to capture the Jug. The Jug Preview at Scioto Downs hasn't produced a Jug winner since Nick's Fantasy in 1995. Western Dreamer, in 1997, is the latest of four Cleveland Classic colts to win the Jug and Bettor's Delight is one of three Simcoe champions to win at Delaware.