Betting Line paced a world record 1:49 mile in the second heat of the Little Brown Jug on Thursday, September 22 at the Delaware County Fairground in Ohio, as the Ontario Sired son of Bettors Delight captured the 71st edition of the Jug in straight heats for trainer Casie Coleman and driver David Miller.
The mile time matches Wiggle It Jiggleit’s 2015 Jug clocking as the fastest ever paced by a three-year-old over a half-mile track (Wiggle It Jiggleit still holds the gelding mark).
Owned by Coleman’s West Wins Stable (of Cambridge, Ont.) along with Christine Calhoun (Burlington, Ont.) and Mac Nicol (Burlington, Ont) Betting Line came first-up for Miller in the second quarter of the race, made the lead in the vicinity of the half-mile pole and did not look back whatsoever.
Fellow opening-heat victor Western Fame (driven by Mark MacDonald) had cut the opening quarter in :26.4. Miller bided his time with Betting Line from third and came calling as the field raced through the homestretch for the first time. It was in the vicinity of the :54.4 half-mile pole where Betting Line assumed control of the proceedings.
Betting Line paced a solid third panel (:27), but it was in the final quarter where the brown colt showed his motor to everyone. Miller knew it was his race to lose at that point, so ‘The Buckeye’ went to work a bit. He spoke to Betting Line for good measure and even gave him a bit of the high-line treatment just to make sure the end result was never in doubt.
And what an end result it was.
Miller and Betting Line paced hard off the final turn and jetted through the lane unchallenged, expanding their multi-length lead with every stride. Betting Line was firing on all cylinders when he hit the wire in 1:49, which was a world record for a three-year-old pacing colt over a half-mile track.
“Huge day. It’s unbelievable,” said co-owner Nichol, during the winner’s circle proceedings. “There’s no bottom to this horse. I’ve never seen the bottom of this horse, ever.”
Betting Line ($2.20) bested Western Fame, who finished second for pilot Mark MacDonald. Manhattan Beach finished third for Matt Kakaley. Lyons Snyder (driven by Sylvain Filion) and Dr J Hanover (Scott Zeron) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The victory was the third career Little Brown Jug win for Coleman and the fourth for Miller, who is currently the unofficial reinsman to beat over the blazing-fast half-mile course.
Announcer Roger Huston asked Miller – possibly tongue in cheek – if the win was as easy as it looked. “Yeah… it was pretty easy,” said the very humble Miller. “[Betting Line] was great both trips, and I’m so glad for all the connections and the horse to win the Little Brown Jug.”
Miller went on to say, “I enjoy each and every one of them (Jug wins), and this one was special.”
“I love the Jug. Everybody knows I’ve always been supportive of the Jug,” Coleman, who was just married days before, said in the winner’s circle. “I think I pay every horse I have – I have some cheaper horses that I pay into this race just hoping they’re good enough to come. Every single year I’ll be here supporting it as long as I have a horse good enough.”
Coleman also stated that Betting Line still has the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals and Breeders Crown on his dance card, but he was not paid up to upcoming stakes at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. Coleman did say that no decision has been made at this time as to whether they will supplement Betting Line to the Red Mile Grand Circuit stakes.
With the win in the Jug final, Betting Line extended his winning streak to 13, which includes scores in the Pepsi North America Cup, Carl Milstein Memorial, the Battle of the Brandywine, Simcoe Stakes and multiple OSS events.
Betting Line’s Jug win made for a Bettors Delight sweep of Jug and Jugette, as L A Delight captured the latterover the course one day prior.
(Standardbred Canada)
