Eighteen Enter $1,000,000 Little Brown Jug
The 25-race card will now go postward at 11:30 AM.
The connections of eighteen three-year-old colt and gelding pacers entered the box for the 78th edition of the Little Brown Jug to be held Thursday (September 21) at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
The third $50,000 elimination will feature three of the top ranked sophomore colt pacers – Cannibal, It’s My Show and Stockade Seelster.
Cannibal comes into the Jug with $444,978 in career earnings and a lifetime mark of 1:48.1. The $350,000 Adios Final (July 29) winner is owned by Diamond Creek Racing and trained by Nancy Takter.
It’s My Show is the $760,000 North America Cup (June 17) champion and the fastest in the field based on a 1:46.4 win at the Red Mile. The Sweet Lou gelding is trained by Linda Toscano for Richard and Joanne Young.
Dr. Ian Moore trains Stockade Seelster for Sally MacDonald and Paul MacDonald. The State Treasurer colt has more than $1 million in career earnings. Dr. Moore trained the 2008 LBJ champ Shadow Play.
Voukefalas will headline the first elimination. The Lazarus N colt comes into the Jug off a 1:49.2 win in the $150,000 New Jersey Classic. He is owned by Michael Pagonas and trained by Michael Russo.
The second $50,000 elimination will have Thunder Hunter Joe and the pair of $45,000 supplemental entries – Huntinthelastdolar and Burnout.
Thunder Hunter Joe is coming off a second-place finish in the $225,000 New York Sire Stakes Final to Huntingthelastdolar. He is co-owned by David Hamm, Glenn Phillips, Christopher Ciaccio and DeVita Racing. The Huntsville gelding is trained by Nicholas DiVita.
Huntinthelastdolar is co-owned by trainer Gregg McNair, George Kerr and Bradley Grant. The gelded son of Huntsville has won six of eight 2023 starts and has $457,073 in career earnings.
Burnout is a sophomore son of Racing Hill and will come to Delaware off a second-place finish in the $300,000 Ohio Sire Stakes Final (September 9). He is owned by Greg Luther Racing and trained by Todd Luther.
The top three finishers in each elimination will complete in the $850,000 final.
With the 25-race card now scheduled, the first race post time as been moved to 11:30 AM on Thursday.
$50,000 – First Elimination
HD Horse (Listed Driver/Trainer)
1 Voukefalas (Jordan Stratton/Michael Russo)
2 Loubet (David Miller/Ron Burke)
3 Hungry Angel Boy (Todd McCarthy/Tony Alagna)
4 Blue Hunt (Andrew McCarthy/Deborah Daguet)
5 Moment Is Here (Tim Tetrick/Robert McIntosh)
6 Ants Marching (Dexter Dunn/Nancy Takter)
$50,000 – Second Elimination
HD Horse (Listed Driver/Trainer)
1 Thunder Hunter Joe (Tim Tetrick/Nicholas DeVita)
2 Huntinthelastdolar (Doug McNair/Gregg McNair)
3 Ervin Hanover (David Miller/Ron Burke)
4 Ken Hanover (David Miller/Roland Mallar)
5 Burnout (Sam Widger/Todd Luther)
6 Seven Colors (Dexter Dunn/Andrew Harris)
$50,000 – Third Elimination
HD Horse (Listed Driver/Trainer)
1 Cannibal (Yannick Gingras/Nancy Takter)
2 It’s My Show (Scott Zeron/Linda Toscano)
3 Redwood Hanover (James MacDonald/Anthony Beaton)
4 Stockade Seelster (David Miller/Dr. Ian Moore)
5 Bamboozler (Tony Hall/Virgil Morgan, Jr.)
6 Bugaboo Lou (David Miller/Ron Burke)
$850,000 – Second Heat
Top three finishers from each elimination.
Photo: Presiding Judge John Yinger (in suit) with (from left) Associate Judges Jon Weist and Tom Hope and Race Secretary Peter Koch conduct the post position draw for the $1,000,000 Little Brown Jug. (Brad Conrad Photo)