Captain Albano Takes Little Brown Jug
When the field of eight was sent on their way in the $525,000 final, a four-wide battled ensued for the early lead.
Captain’s Quarters continued to lead past the opening quarter in :27.2 and the half in :55.2.
As the field straightened down the backstretch for the final time, McCarthy moved Captain Albano out of the pocket to challenge the leader past the three-quarters in 1:22.4.
The eventual winner put a head in front midway around the final turn and sprinted home in :27.2 to score a three length win in 1:50.1.
The son of Captaintrecherous is owned by the partnership of Patricia Stable, L A Express Stable, Sjoblom Racing and Matt Dolan.
“It’s just amazing, said co-owner Dolan. “Captain (Albano) has been a great horse all year, a lot of bad luck. He finally got to show what he could do. The horse is a great horse and I have great partners, they are like family.”
Captain Albano now has 15 wins in 22 career starts and is 8-for-13 this year.
He was bred by Frederick Hertrich III.
In the first elimination, McCarthy hustled Captain Albano out of post #5 and grabbed the early lead and was able to cruise to a 1:49.2 victory in gate-to-wire fashion.
The pocket sitting Captain Luke was 3 ½ lengths back in second. A hard charging Mirage Hanover was third and Huntingforchrome (Matt Kakaley) finished in the last advancing spot.
The heavy favorite, Nijinsky (Louis-Phillipe Roy) couldn’t get closer than third during the miles and faded to last.
The Canadian invader Captain’s Quarters used his rail position and went gate-to-wire in the second $50,000 elimination in 1:51.3.
The 38-1 longshot Total Stranger made a valent effort in the stretch but came up a head short. The bettor’s choice, Legendary Hanover (James MacDonald) was forced three-wide at the three-quarter pole and edged Sweet Beach Life (Matt Kakaley) for third.
Jug Day Undercard
Connections Take A Shot with Soft Shot and Take Jugette Title



Jugette Day Undercard


The second $27,500 division, Odds On Chesapeake (Dexter Dunn) came from off the pace to collar the pacesetting Blessed Hanover (Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.) by a length in a lifetime best 1:52.4.
She was bred by Johanna Beaver, Michael Carter and Mary McLaughlin.k Farm.
Odds and Ends for the Little Brown Jug
Scrappy Was Just That In OBC
Scrappy’s Love withstood extended pressure from Lt Loverboy and scored a nose victory in the $137,000 (div) Ohio Breeders Championship for freshman colt trotters in Tuesday action at the Delaware County Fair.
Drive Mike Wilder used his rail position and established control of the field and fractions of :29.1 and :58.4.
Nearing the half, Brett Miller pulled Lt Loverboy out of the three-hole and pressured Scrappy’s Love past the three-quarters in 1:27.4.
Whats Shakin (Ronnie Gillespie) and Rose Run Ari (Austin Hanners) rounded out the top four.
He has now been first or second in six of seven seasonal starts.
When the gates wings folded, the eventual winner grabbed the lead in the first eighth of the mile and relinquished control to Hilltop Sonar (Chris Page) past the opening quarter in :28.3.
As the field of eight approached the half in :58.2, Stud Muffin T (Tyler Smith) was the first to challenge Hilltop Sonar, but broke stride going into the 5/8-mile pole.


Top Photo: Scrappy’s Love
Bottom Photo: Battle Hill
Photo Credit: Brad Conrad Photos
Filly Was
Sweet
In OBC

Left photo: Undefeated Sugar Instead at the Delaware County Fair.
Photo courtesy of Brad Conrad Photos
Sugar Instead continued her undefeated season by winning the $113,640 Ohio Breeders Championship for sophomore filly trotters in Monday action at the Delaware County Fair.
Legacy Affair (Ron Wrenn, Jr.) took the lead past the opening quarter in :27.4.
The field raced in a straight line past the quarter in :57.1.
The Two-Year-Old OBC Colt Trot Headlines Delaware’s Tuesday Card
Stablemates Headline 79th Little Brown Jug


West Wins Stable and Mark Dumain own both and they share ownership in Nijinsky with Eric Good and in Legendary Hanover with John Fielding. Anthony Beaton trains both.
Louis-Philippe Roy will drive Nijinsky and James MacDonald will pilot Legendary Hanover.
Luther’s Sweep Ohio Breeders Championship for Freshman Filly Pacers
The Luther brothers – owner Greg Luther and trainer Todd Luther – and driver Austin Hanners swept the $133,600 (div.) Ohio Breeders Championship for two-year-old filly pacers on Sunday at the Delaware County Fair.
In the second $66,800 division, Hanners fired Skywalker Sea out of post position #5 and grabbed the early lead and sprinted past the quarter in :27.3.
The field of six raced in single file past the half in :56.3.
The homebred daughter of Downbytheseaside went to the winner’s circle for the third time in 2024 and pushed her earnings to $115,600.
The completion of the first division changed when the heavily favored The Word Is Out (Chris Page) made a break in stride at the start, allowing Prolific Fire to grab the early, winning in gate-to-wire fashion in 1:53.3.



Top photo: Seafire – Seafire (middle) defeated Act Fast (inside) and Charlie May (#7) in the final strides of the OBC Aged Pace.
Middle photo: Seafire (#5) grabbed the early lead.
Bottom photo: Prolific Fire grabbing a win.
Twelve Enter $310,000 Jugette
The second elimination will have My Girl EJ (Dexter Dunn) and Odds On Platinum (Todd McCarthy).
Grand Circuit Racing at the Delaware County Fair to Kick Off on Sunday
Two Fillies are Supplemented to the Jugette
Supplemental Entry Reminder
2024 Lady Pace Honor to Lisa Schwartz
Lisa Schwartz, the long-time racing official, will be saluted as the 2024 Lady Pace honoree by the Delaware County Fair.

The 2024 Neville Award to Herve Filion

Top Right Photo: Herve Filion brings Hot Hitter back to salute the Delaware fans after wining the 1979 Little Brown Jug. Photo Credits: USTA Photos

LBJ Wall of Fame to Welcome Yannick Gingras


Photo Credits: Yannick Gingras head shot (USTA Photo) and Lou’s Pearlman (Conrad Photo)
The Ohio Chapter of the USHWA is offering a scholarship to the Hirt Journalism Workshop
The Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) is offering one Ohio based journalism student the opportunity to participate in the Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop from July 31 – August 3, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The college or grad student will be learning through writing and editing sessions, tours and reporting drills.
Students will be asked to file stories focusing on one of harness racing’s biggest events, the $1-million Hambletonian (August 3).
There is no cost to the student during the workshop – meals and lodging expense are covered by USHWA and travel expenses (up to $500) will be covered by the Ohio Chapter.
Any Ohio college journalism student or resident interested is asked to submit an application and writing samples by July 3, 2024. For an application, please contact Jay Wolf at jugpublicity@outlook.com.
Dr. John C. Mossbarger Elected
to Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame

Dr. John Mossbarger, a veterinarian and president of Midland Acres, Inc., has been elected as the 50th member of the Ohio Harness Racing Hall of Fame by a vote of the members of the Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association.
Dr. John Mossbarger and his family have bred horses in the Buckeye State for half a century at Midland Acres, which was established by Mossbarger’s father Dr. Don Mossbarger, who was a 1994 Ohio Harness Hall of Fame honoree.
The younger graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.S. degree in 1972 and a D.V.M. degree in 1977.
Dr. Mossbarger’s gift is more than as a breeder, His service to for the industry has been extensive. He has served is a past president of the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association and the Ohio Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association. He is a member of the Hambletonian Society, Fayette County Harness Horsemen’s Association, a Director of the United States Trotting Association, and serves as a state trustee on the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.
He was honored as the Maynard and Stella Hagemeyer Significant Contribution Award (2021) and as 2005 Rambling Willie Achievement Award winner by the Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association. honoree.
His wife, Kyle, is retired from the Madison County Schools. They have two daughters that are married, Jamie Lee (Kyle) Butts and Jill Ann (Chris) Cottrill, and are blessed with six grandchildren.
Mossbarger will be honored at the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association’s annual banquet on Saturday, January 14 at the Polaris Hilton in Columbus.
Photo Credit: OHHA
The Ohio Chapter of USHWA
to Hand Out 2023 Awards
The Ohio Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association will hand out its annual awards at the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association banquet on Saturday, January 13 at the Marriott Columbus OSU.
The Ohio Chapter will honor Ronnie Gillespie as the recipient of the Winner’s Circle Award for outstanding achievement during the past year; Edward Miller as the Peter Haughton Memorial Award winner for being the young Ohioan who is an “up-and-coming” star among harness horsemen; Earl Bowman into the Immortal Hall of Fame; Overcomer into the Standardbred Hall of Fame; and Steve Bateson as the winner of the Rambling Willie Award for the Ohioan who has done the most for harness racing over the past two decades.
Gillespie, a 51-year-old native of Mississippi, came to Ohio in 2020 and has established himself on the Buckeye fair and sire stakes circuits. He was the regular driver for Sugar Instead, who swept the five legs of the OSS and the $300,000 final on her way to $373,925 in season earnings. As a driver, Gillespie owns a .370 UDRS and a career best $ 786,934. As a conditioner, he had a .430 UTRS.
Gillespie, a 51-year-old native of Mississippi, came to Ohio in 2020 and has established himself on the Buckeye fair and sire stakes circuits. He was the regular driver for Sugar Instead, who swept the five legs of the OSS and the $300,000 final on her way to $373,925 in season earnings. As a driver, Gillespie owns a .370 UDRS and a career best $ 786,934. As a conditioner, he had a .430 UTRS.
Edward Miller, the a 26-year-old resident of Polk, Ohio, is excelling in the job cart, as well as the race bike. He currently ranks seventh in the trainer’s standings at MGM Northfield Park. He has conditioned 108 winners this season, earning a career best $1.6 million. He is the trainer of the World Champion, Jet Hill. As an amateur driver, Miller has a lifetime .397 UDRS with more than 50 wins and nearly $300 thousand in career earnings.
Earl Bowman was a well-respected driver/trainer of more than 50 years. Bang The Door ($257,844), Ruff Door ($213,212), Perfect Door ($203,353), Cervantes Osborne ($123,553) and Sweet Potato Chips ($129,993) were among the many fine horses that Bowman trained during his career. Mr. Bowman was
a 1988 inductee into the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame and was placed on the Northfield Park Wall of Fame in 1993. He passed away on March 18, 2006, just a couple of days short of his 81st birthday.
The stallion Overcomer stood 14 seasons in the Buckeye state. He had 1,017 registered foals, 162 in 2:00 and 65 who earned $100,000 or more. As a racehorse, the son of Speed In Action finished on the board in 45 of 53 career starts, earning more than $400 thousand dollars. He was a three-time Ohio Sire Stakes Champion trotter.
Steve Bateson, a resident of Bowling Green, Ohio, has been involved with Standardbred horses since 1981 and bought part of his first racehorse in 1986. A director of the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association since 2011, Bateson served as vice president of the organization for four years and is its currently in his fifth year as president. He was the driving force behind the implementation of the Buckeye Stallion Series events for 2- and 3-year-olds, which added another valuable classification for staking many outstanding Ohio-bred foals.