Jereme's Jet, reigning two-year-old colt champion pacer and Dan Patch award winner, heads a powerful group of colts eligible to the 61st Little Brown Jug. The $575,000-est. Jug Classic will be raced Thursday afternoon, September 21 at the Delaware, (OH) County Fairgrounds.
The top seven ranked colts on the U.S. Trotting Association's Experimental Championship ratings of three-year-olds are included among the 152 Jug eligibles.
Jereme's Jet is owned by Jolene Leahy's Genesis Racing Stable of Plainfield, IL, trained by Illinois horseman Tom Harmer and driven in all but one of his career starts by Ontario's Paul MacDonell. Jereme's Jet won six of seven career starts and lost the seventh by a head.
The bay son of Western Hanover is out of the champion mare Ohyouprettything, herself a brilliant star with almost $1.3 million in race winnings and 35 victories. Jereme's Jet did not make his first start until August 28, but he captured a trio of important races in the Metro, Governor's Cup and Breeders Crown and banked $1,039,376. He also was the national season's champion with a record of 1:50.4.
Second to Jereme's Jet in the USTA rankings is Western Ace, owner-trainer George Teague's second major star in two seasons, as a stablemate to the spectacular Rainbow Blue. The Western Ideal colt, who cost only $20,000 as a yearling, wound up with 11 victories in 14 starts, finishing second twice and third once. The pint-sized colt captured the Woodrow Wilson elim and Final, Goshen Cup, Niatross, Bluegrass and Matron Final. He was second in his Breeders Crown elim and third in the Breeders Crown Final. Western Ace earned $709,743 with a best time of 1:51.2.
Western Cyclon was on the board10 times in 11 starts and defeated Jereme's Jet by a head in their Breeders Crown Elimination. The Travis Alexander-trained and Arlene and Jules Siegel-owned son of Western Hanover also won the Arden Downs, Simpson Stake and was second in the Governor's Cup Final at Woodbine. He banked $310,056 with a mark of 1:51.3.
Another highly rated colt is Palone Ranger ($385,757, 1:51.3). The son of Western Ideal won a division of the Champlain and an elimination of the Governor's Cup; was second to Jereme's Jet in the Metro Final and second to Western Ace in the Matron Final.
Rounding out the seven on the USTA ranking are Took Hanover (The Ponderosa, 1:53.3, $79,015), Total Truth (Jenna's Beach Boy, 1:51.4, $102,825), and Artstanding (Artsplace, 1:52.2, $383,967). Alastor Hanover (Rustler Hanover, 1:52.3, $374,268) also made the USTA's top 10 with a 10th place ranking.
The Little Brown Jug is the second leg of Pacing's Triple Crown. The first leg is the Cane Pace scheduled for September 4 at New Jersey's Freehold Raceway. If a horse wins the Cane Pace, but is not eligible to the Little Brown Jug, his owner(s) may pay a $45,000 supplemental starting fee. Yonkers Raceway will once again host the third leg, the Messenger Pace, on November 24.
For a complete listing of the 152 Jug eligibles please log onto our web site: littlebrownjug.com.
