Next stop: Delaware, Ohio.

That's the home of the Little Brown Jug and that's where Art Official will race next in pursuit of the second jewel in the Triple Crown.

Art Official had not originally been nominated for the Jug, just as he had not been nominated for the Cane Pace, which he won handily on Monday. But the colt had been supplemented for $35,000 to the Cane, the first jewel, and justified trainer Joe Seekman's confidence in him by taking the $196,425 winner's share of the purse.

Driver Ron Pierce has won the venerable Little Brown Jug three times but his chance to do it for the fourth time rests with Art Official, who is currently not nominated for the 63rd edition of the event.
Pierce will be driving Art Official in Monday's $392,850 edition of the Cane Pace at Freehold Raceway. The Cane is the first leg of pacing's Triple Crown and The Jug is the second leg. Art Official, who was supplemented to the Cane for $35,000, earned back $32,731 of that Saturday when he won his elimination heat for the Cane in 1:50.4, breaking the track record as he became the first pacer to race under 1:51 over the half-mile oval.
Now if the 3-year-old son of Art Major wins the final he will earn a chance to be supplemented to the Jug and have a chance to become the sport's first Triple Crown winner since No Pan Intended in 2003. Only the winner of the Cane can be supplemented to the Jug.

Somebeachsomewhere set another world record on the road to the goal his trainer, Brent MacGrath, has set for him -- a sub 1:47 mile.

The son of Mach Three reeled off a 1:49.2 mile Sunday over the track at Flamboro Downs in Hamilton, Ontario, to win the $593,000 Federation Cup and become the first 3-year-old to pace a sub 1:50 mile on a half-mile oval. He eclipsed the previous world mark of 1:50 that Mr Feelgood set in 2006 on his way to victory in the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

What a trifecta!

The unbeaten favorite to win the Meadowlands Pace, the unbeaten favorite to win the Hambletonian and harness racing's top older pacer will all be in action this weekend at the Meadowlands.