2YO Janelle Granny dazzles in pari-mutuel debut

Northfield, OH – The husband and wife team of Nick and Betty Clegg may have one of harness racing’s next superstars in their barn following an impressive effort by Janelle Granny (Fear The Dragon) on Wednesday (June 21) at MGM Northfield Park.

It was the pari-mutuel debut for the Ohio-bred son, who finished a game second at Paulding in his first career start. Clegg took no prisoners during Janelle Granny’s impressive victory on Wednesday, becoming the fastest 2-year-old to pace on a half-mile track and was one-fifth of a second off becoming the fastest 2-year-old this season, stopping the clock in 1:53.4.

“I’ve had the utmost confidence in him since I started training him down,” said Nick Clegg.  “I’m thankful I picked this colt out and took a chance on him.”

Leaving from the rail, Clegg defended pylon position well, making the lead into the opening turning, but dealt with immediate pressure from Strictly Perfect (Luke Ebersole) and a three-wide Born To Dance (Anthony MacDonald). Born To Dance was allowed to clear past the quarter in :27.4, but coming to the half in :56.4, Janelle Granny was put back into play and cleared again into the clubhouse turn.

Into the backstretch for the final time, I’m Fancy Like (Ryan Stahl) made a bid for the lead with his filly and got within a quarter of a length of the lead at three-quarters in 1:25.2. Still, the talented colt wasn’t done yet, repelling the filly easily and drawing off in the stretch to win by an impressive 4-1/4 lengths.

JANELLE GRANNY REPLAY

Owned by trainer Betty Jo Clegg, Larry Miller bred Janelle Granny in Ohio.

Wednesday’s trot extravaganza proved challenging for gamblers, with both the Pick-5 and Pick-6 going unclaimed. Saturday’s $1 Pick-5 that begins in race six will sport a carryover of $5,529.78. The 50-cent non-jackpot Pick-6 that begins in race eight features a carryover of $1,093. Both wagers feature a low 14% takeout.

Live racing resumes on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. MGM Northfield Park currently races on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. For more information on live racing and promotions, visit here.

For complete race results, click here.

by Michael Carter, for Northfield Park