By Tom White
8/09/04

Delaware, Ohio--The 59th Little Brown Jug will be raced Thursday, September 23 and there is no clear-cut favorite. So, with little more than six weeks to go, the $650,000-est. Jug seems wide-open.

Last weekend's results continued the trend of a different winner each week. Metropolitan, who was second to Mantacular in the $1.5-million North America Cup and third to Holborn Hanover in the $1-million Meadowlands Pace, was very impressive holding off Mantacular's late surge in a division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes at The Meadowlands. The victory was Metropolitan's third in eight starts. Last year's juvenile runnerup Modern Art finished fourth behind Mypanmar.

Geartogear, who won an elimination of the Meadowlands Pace over Metropolitan but finished 10th in the Final after being interfered with, took his division of the Holmes over Panspacificflight. In this division, early season stakes winners Brandon's Cowboy finished fifth and Hoosier Cup winner Skydancer Hanover wound up ninth.

In the final Holmes division, Georgia Pacific (not eligible to Jug) won by open lengths over Driven To Win and Four Starzzz King. Other trailers included Meadowlands Pace winner Holborn Hanover (10th) and Camelot Hall (4th).

Timesareachanging, first in his Meadowlands Pace elim and second in the Final, won his last start, a division of the Standardbred Retirement Foundation pace on July 28th at The Meadowlands.

At The Meadows, Santastic's Pan moved into Jug contention with a victory in the Pete Cameron Memorial, a prep for this week's Adios Pace. Santastic's Pan has finished second or third in six stakes races this year.

Canadian whiz Dr No has not raced since sweeping the Summertime Series at Woodbine. The colt was scratched from last week's Motor City elimination at Hazel Park. And, at Scioto Downs, Pansonance took a division of the Ohio State Fair stake.

Next stop on the road to the Jug is Saturday's Adios Pace from The Meadows. A record 27 horses were entered and post positions were to be drawn this afternoon. After that it's the Review on August 17th from Springfield, IL; Cleveland classic at Northfield Park and Horseman Stake from Indianapolis on August 21; and the Confederation Cup from Flamboro Downs on August 22.

The "Road to the Jug" is updated weekly on line: www.littlebrownjug.com.