by Murray Brown

Part 1 is here.

Part 2 is here.

Part 3 is here.

Part 4 is here.

1988 — B J Scoot — It was a Jug that had no clear favorite. That was probably the reason that ٢٦ entered and ٢٥ started. The entrants included a first time four horse entry: Cameleon, Camtastic, Guida and Threefold. It was a sweep for B J Scoot, the first Ohio-bred horse to win the Jug, but otherwise it was an all-Canadian effort. The trainer Tom Artandi, the driver Mike Lachance and the vast majority of those who made up the winning Sybarite Stable were all natives of the land of the Maple Leaf. The first elimination was won by the ultimate race winner B J Scoot in gate-to-wire fashion over Guida and Cameleon. The second elimination was won by Albert Albert driven by Chris Boring just holding off Dare You To and Just Bold. In the third elimination Camtastic won over Money Lender and Threefold. In the fourth heat B J Scoot took no prisoners in winning out over Threefold.

1989 — Goalie Jeff — It was a repeat of the previous year›s Jug with trainer Tom Artandi and driver Mike Lachance prevailing. The race once again drew a large field necessitating three eliminations. In the first of those Tyler’s Best was victorious for Mike Lachance over Coach Riley and Hit The Bid. Race favorite Kentucky Spur finished fourth and failed to qualify for the next heat. In the second, Barefoot Hanover driven by hometown favorite Dave Rankin won cutting his own trip. In the third, Mike Lachance came from an impossible position to win from way back in seventh position. For what was to become the final heat, Lachance had to choose between his two heat winners Tyler’s Best and Goalie Jeff. He went with Goalie Jeff. He reversed his strategy from coming from behind in the previous heat to cutting the mile en route to a fairly easy win over Barefoot Hanover and Tyler’s Best.

1990 — Beach Towel — The top 3-year-old of this crop was undoubtedly Beach Towel. He came into the race as the overwhelming favorite and left with his reputation intact. The race once again attracted enough participants to require three elimination heats. In the first elimination In The Pocket steered by John Campbell worked out a first over trip to come victorious from off the pace for veterinarian turned horse trainer Dr. Ken Seeber. In the second elimination, Kiev Hanover led from beginning to end driven by Jim Morand for trainer Bucky Waugh. In the third elimination, Beach Towel was the easiest of winners for trainer/driver Ray Remmen and his owner Seth Rosenfeld of the Uptown Stable. In what was to be the final heat, the three winners from each elimination came back to do battle. But it wasn’t much of a battle, maybe a skirmish, but not much more. Beach Towel left, got covered up by In The Pocket, then Remmen retook and it was essentially game over from that point with Beach Towel an easy winner over In The Pocket and Kiev Hanover. It was likely the most dominating Jug since Niatross in 1980.

1991 — Precious Bunny — The race was expected to bring together the super threesome of Artsplace, Die Laughing and Precious Bunny. But it was not to be. Before the race, Artsplace came down with a virus that forced his trainer, Buckeye-native Gene Riegle to not enter him in the race that he wanted to win more than any other. It was another disappointment for Riegle following the Jug where he had high hopes for his Jay Time, only to have them dashed by Strike Out in the 1972 Little Brown Jug. I have been to more than 50 Little Brown Jugs, I’m not sure of the exact number. There has never been one where the start electrified me, and I’m sure many others, to the degree that this one did. If there is some way to time the first 100 yards or so, I’d surely love to know how fast Precious Bunny went. Without having the expertise to know, I’d guess it being at least comparable to running horse time for that same distance. The race itself drew enough entrants to require three eliminations. The first was won by Precious Bunny driven by Jack Moiseyev. The second was won by Easy Goer piloted by Mike Lachance. The third won by Nuke Skywalker driven by Ron Pierce. The final went to Precious Bunny over a close Nuke Skywalker.

1992 — Fake Left — Of all the Jugs that I›ve seen, this one was the most disappointing to me. Western Hanover had been bred and raised by Hanover Shoe Farms. We had followed his career religiously from the time he had been sold as a yearling, to the Little Brown Jug, where we believed he was about to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1983. He had previously won the Cane and the Messenger. All that remained on his quest was the Little Brown Jug. We had reached an agreement with his owner George Segal to syndicate him and have him return to Hanover where he would begin stud duties. I will go to my grave thinking that the best horse did not win the race. Certainly, on this day, the best driver did. Ron Waples was not even supposed to be the driver of Fake Left. The driver was to be Mickey McNichol, but an accident earlier on the race card had sent him to the hospital and Waples was elected to take McNichol’s place behind Fake Left. The race drew 22 starters. The first elimination was won by Gamma Ray driven by Jeff Fout. The second was won by longshot Crouch piloted by Mike Lachance. The third elimination was won by Fake Left driven by Waples. The first three from each elimination came back for a second heat which was won by pre-race favorite Western Hanover driven by Bill Fahy, once again another Gene Riegle Little Brown Jug hope. The four heat winners were to duke it out in a winner-take-all final. Was this to finally be Riegle’s Jug Win? The odds favored him. After all, he had two of the heat winners, Gamma Ray and Western Hanover in the race. But it was not to be. Western Hanover assumed early command with Fake Left on the attack. Instead of obeying the first law at Delaware, when on top don’t let anybody go, especially in a raceoff, Fahy chose to let Fake Left take command. Western Hanover eventually got out at around the three quarters mark. What ensued was one of the greatest stretch wars in the history of the race with Fake Left winning by the smallest of noses. Riegle was once again denied the race he most wanted to win. An irony of the race was that the two drivers Waples and Fahy were the same two who engaged in the only dead heat in Hambletonian history between Park Avenue Joe and Probe in 1989.

1993 — Life Sign — Gene Riegle was finally to get his much-desired Little Brown Jug victory in what many still believe was the greatest contest they have ever seen in Delaware, OH. I would agree. Riyadh and Presidential Ball, both from the powerful Bill Robinson stable came into the race as co-favorites, with perhaps Riyadh being slightly favored because he had shown significant ability on a half-mile track. Riyadh had won the two first legs of the Triple Crown with his wins in the Cane at Yonkers and the Messenger at Rosecroft. His stablemate Presidential Ball had won the two other 3-year-old classics in winning the North America Cup and the Meadowlands Pace. Although Life Sign had not won a classic race, he was always around and was not to be discounted. Riyadh driven by Jim Morrill, Jr. and Life Sign steered by John Campbell each won their eliminations in workmanlike order. For the second and final heat Riyadh drew the rail and did what a horse should do with the rail at Delaware, he controlled the pace, not letting John Campbell go. For all intents and purposes Life Sign was parked for the duration except for a small stretch where he was able to duck in for a slight breather. Riyadh cut the mile and entered the lane with a 2-length lead. Top horses are never supposed to get beat with that kind of lead at Delaware, but a tired Life Sign and his great driver John Campbell performed the impossible in reaching down deep to go by an equally tired Riyadh to win by three quarters of a length. All three of the race favorites — Life Sign, Riyadh and Presidential Ball — were expected to excel in the stud as they had on the racetrack. Surprisingly none of them did. Riyadh was sterile. Presidential Ball went to stud at Perretti Farms where the results were disappointing. Life Sign’s owner and breeder George Segal syndicated him to stand at Kentuckiana Farms where the results were at best mixed.