It’s My Show upsets in $1 million Little Brown Jug

Trainer Linda Toscano harnessed 7-1 It’s My Show (Sweet Lou) to capture the $1 million Little Brown Jug on Sept. 21, at Delaware, Ohio in a heart-stopping 1:49 with harness racing driver Scott Zeron at the lines.  After the three $50,000 elimination heats, the final carried a purse of $850,000.

“This horse has made some amazing races for us,” said Zeron. “Honestly, when you add in a trailer, it changes everything about the race. I needed a lot of things to go right and Seven Colors raced great, and my horse got to put his nose in front.”

Just one day earlier Toscano had captured the Jugette with Ucandoit Hanover (Keystone Velocity) in 1:50.2 with Zeron at the lines. This win was the ninth of the year for It’s My Show, who upped his bankroll to $1,124,715 for owners Richard P. Young of Boca Raton, Florida and Joanne Young, of Coconut Creek, Florida.

“This has been a pretty good week,” said Toscano. “This has been a race that has eluded me, and one which I’ve been dying to win. We will likely skip the first week at Lexington and now go for the second week with this win.”

Tim Tetrick had hustled 5-2 Moment Is Here out of the gate from the rail and battled Cannibal (Yannick Gingras) who stayed on the outside from the :25.4 first quarter and through the :53.3 half, before tiring down the backstretch, as Seven Colors (Dexter Dunn) hustled up quickly on the outside to the 1:22 three-quarter. It’s My Show was following closely and pulled to the outside, chasing Seven Colors to the wire and securing the victory.

Seven Colors took home the place money, with 7-2 Ken Hanover third for David Miller and 5-2 Moment Is Here was fourth for Tetrick.

IT’S MY SHOW REPLAY

It’s My Show is the fifth of six foals out of the Rocknroll Hanover mare Put On A Show, p, 5, 1:47.3 ($2,406,628), making him a half-brother to Best In Show (Bettor’s Delight) p, 3, 1:48 ($672,240) and Come See The Show (Somebeachsomewhere) p, 2, 1:52.3f $(131,886).

Third elimination: Only five horses went postward in the third Little Brown Jug elimination, due to the late scratch of Stockade Seelster, but as expected 4-5 Cannibal (Sweet Lou) won easily for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Nancy Takter.

Bred and owned by Diamond Creek Farm, Cannibal took the mile, his 12^th career win, in 1:49.1. This sophomore had $444,978 in his bank account prior to this latest victory.

“This is an interesting race to be in because post positions are so important going into the elimination,” said Takter. “Luckily Cannibal is a very smart horse, an A+ student. He’ll get some water, and maybe a little snack and he’ll be ready to come back. He’ll have to come back and race really well in the next heat and post will make a difference, but I have a lot of confidence in this colt.”

Bamboozler took the early lead for driver Tony Hall, but Cannibal came right back to take the lead at the :26.2 first quarter, and easily paced through fractions of :55.2, and 1:22.2, before storming home. The second half was clocked in a speedy :53.4.

“This is race and a place where we want to be,” said winning owner Adam Bowden. “The girls at the farm defined early on that he was very special, and he’s turned out to be just that. This is what we do, we try to develop these kinds of horses, and try to share what they do with the people involved.”

CANNIBAL REPLAY

It’s My Show (1-1) put on a game rally in the stretch for Scott Zeron but could not catch the leader, with 9-1 Redwood Hanover getting up for third for James McDonald and 14-1 longshot Bugaboo Lou finishing fourth for Chris Page.

Cannibal is the first foal out of the A Rocknroll Dance mare No More Losses p, 2, 1:54.3s ($14,948).

SECOND ELIMINATION: Ken Hanover (Captaintreacherous) paced the fastest mile ever in LIttle Brown Jug history when he stole the show in the second $50,000 harness racing elimination of the Jug at Delaware, Ohio Thursday (Sept. 21), sneaking down the stretch to win in 1:48.4 for driver David Miller.

Seven Colors and driver Dexter Dunn had worked his way up on the outside as the 3-5 favorite and appeared to be an easy winner, when Ken Hanover came out of nowhere to score the win at 9-2.

“He really surprised me with the trip he went in the mile and beating Seven Colors,” said Miller. “He’s been a good horse but he’s like everyone else, he wanted to come to Delaware. He followed Dexter (driving Seven Colors), and I thought he was going to be second, and I gave him a yell, and he took off.”

It was a new career mark for the bay colt, who is trained by Roland Mallar and owned in partnership by Mallar, P. Leavitt, w. Jordan, and D. Osterholt. The previous record for the Little Brown Jug was 1:49 set by Betting Line (David Miller) in 2016.

Thunder Hunter Joe (5-1) took the early lead for driver Tim Tetrick, leading the field to a :26.1 first quarter, and through the :54 half, before Seven Colors took control of the race heading to the 1:21.3 three-quarter mile marker, before taking over the lead in the turn. Ken Hanover then showed up strong to score the win, the seventh of his career in 26 starts.

Thunder Hunter Joe held on for third, with 31-1 longshot Ervin Hanover finishing fourth for Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.   Ken Hanover had $385,041 in his coffers prior to this track record winning performance.

KEN HANOVER REPLAY

Ken Hanover is the first foal out of the American Ideal mare KJ’s Justine p, 3, 1:51.4 ($104,208), and is a half-brother to Kix Hanover (Captain Crunch) p, 2, 2:00.3h ($6,100).

FIRST ELIMINATION: Moment Is Here (All Bets Off) grabbed the lead at the start and never looked back in the first $50,000 elimination of the Little Brown Jug Thursday (Sept. 21) at the Delaware, Ohio harness racing track, scoring his sixth lifetime victory in 1:50.1 for driver Tim Tetrick.

Bob McIntosh trains the bay gelding, who is owned by Mcintosh in partnership with Al Mcintosh, Frank Baldachino, Hrvy Cdrs, and Mardon Stables. The triumph gave trainer Mcintosh his 20^th lifetime win at Delaware and Tetrick his 31^st career win.

“I’ve been so fortunate to be part of this colt as a 2-year-old, and I own and stand the stallion in Canada and this colt looks just like his sire,” said Baldachino. “He’s so good on a small track and scoots around these turns and it will take a good horse to get by him.”

Hungry Angel Boy, the 7-2 choice, was second for Todd McCarthy, with 16-1 longshot Blue Hunt grabbing third-place honors for Andrew McCarthy, and 12-1 Lou Bet was fourth for David Miller.

Moment Is Here cruised through fractions of :26, :54, and 1:22.1, before drawing off from his rivals to nail down the victory. He had $334,711 on his card prior to this event.

MOMENT IS HERE REPLAY

“I’d never driven the horse but went off what the connections said and he’s quick off the car and a strong first quarter, but I wanted to get control and be first on the front,” Tetrick noted. “He was really good and would have gone more if I wanted to and paced all the way to the wire.”

Foaled on March 21, 2020, Moment Is Here, is the 11^th of 13 foals out of the unraced No Pan Intended mare Breathtacular. Moment Is Here is a half-brother to Quite A Sight (by Camluck) p, 5, Q1:51.1 ($212,771) and Rather Swell (by Western Maverick) p, 4, 1:49.3 ($311,233), among others.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting Results

by Kimberly Rinker, for Harnesslink