Popular driver Jody Jamieson and Redland Rocket Man take a victory tour in front of the excited stands after ‘Rocket Man’ scorched the field in 1;47.4 to win the 81st Little Brown Jug. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
A horse from Canada, Redland Rocket Man, blasted to the victory Thursday in the 81st Little Brown Jug in Delaware, delighting the crowd and turning back the formidable challenge of four horses from the same owner to claim that which is arguably harness racing’s biggest prize.
Delaware, OH — It was four against one at the 81st Little Brown Jug Thursday afternoon.
And the one, won.
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Canadian driver Jody Jamieson was surrounded by trainer Ron Burke’s Jug-ernaut but he steered Redland Rocket Man to victory in a scorching 1:47.4 for the mile on the Delaware County Fairgrounds half-mile track.
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There were four Burke-trained pacers in the $550,000 event, four of the eight contenders.
Jamieson could see Al Papi to his right and if he looked behind him he could see Frantic Hanover, Melillo and Watch Em Win — all Burke horses.
But he only had to look briefly in front him when Yannick Gingras, leaving from the two post, poked Al Papi’s head in front at the first turn.
That was the cue for Jamieson, who broke from the one post. He guided Redland Rocket Man inside Al Papi at the turn and was last seen crossing the finish line 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Al Papi.
So was the 49-year-old Jamieson aware that he was matched against four Burke horses?
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“Oh, yeah, I sure was,” he said. “And I knew any of the four could win the race.”
And he was aware that Burke has won five Little Brown Jugs, incuding last year with Louprint. Burke has trained more than 13,000 winners and collected $300 million in purses.
Jody Jamieson and Redland Rocket Man led wire to wire to claim Jamieson’s second Little Brown Jug title (2007).
Redland Rocket Man didn’t know all that and he didn’t know his owners, led by John Pentland, had to pay a supplemental $45,000 to get him into the field.
And did he know that three starts ago he tied a world record with a 1:46.4 in winning the $140,000 Grade 3 Simcoe Stake at Woodbine?
He said nothing, just accepted his flowers in the winner’s circle as the crowd roared its approval.
But Jamieson had plenty to say, speaking for his speedy steed.
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“I might be the oldest to win it (49) and I’m sure I own the largest span of years between wins,” he said.
Jamieson’s other Little Brown Jug victory was in 2007 behind Tell All, 19 years between wins.
“I’m just fortunate they let me drive him because there were a lot of experienced young guys hanging around the rails looking for rides,” he said.
Of the 26 years between Jug wins, Jamieson said, “I was really hot 19 years ago and not so hot since. But it has been amazing to get to come back here at 49 to the greatest race in harness racing. Just an amazing day.”
Trainer Pentland wouldn’t think of putting another driver in the sulky and said, “He and the horse did some racing at Northfield Park and they got along.”
Some wondered if Jamieson didn’t use up his horse in an elimination heat when he had to bolt from last to first in a five-horse field.
But he won by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:50.2 to muscle his way into what looked like The Ron Burke Invitational.
“I didn’t really use him up,” he said. “I knew I had the best horse.”
Jody Jamieson and the ownership team share the Little Brown Jug trophy during Thursday’s award ceremonies.
And then he proved it.
Al Papi won the other elimination heat and looked as if he wanted to grab the early lead because it was a day during the 19-race program when early-speed held.
Jamieson fended that off in the first turn then Al Papi made one last charge at Redland Rocket Man.
Local driver Chris Page (Mount Vernon) was seeking his second Little Brown Jug title driving Ron Burke’s Watch Em Win.
After Redland Rocket Man ran fractions of :26.2 for the quarter and :55.3 for the half, Al Papi came calling from first over.
Gingras pushed Al Papi’s nose to Redland Rocket Man’s right ear and without a twitch that’s all Redland Rocket Man needed. He turned it on and turned in a :27.1 sprint away to the finish.
As he pounded down the stretch he was like Jerry Lee Lewis pounding the piano, hard and fast, and he was doing unto the other horses what they couldn’t do unto him.
“That doggone Yannick. You never know what he might do. I thought I was ready to leave at the start, but I wasn’t,” said Jamieson. “Yannick (driving Al Papi) nearly got around me.
“If he had got around me, who knows how the race might have turned out,” he added. “I just knew I had the best horse and he couldn’t beat me at the turns.”
The win was his third in a row after his world record run at Woodbine and said, “That might be my favorite and most impressive win, but this ranks right up there. This crowd was really something.”
And as Jamieson and Redland Rocket Man turned for home, the large crowd roared the loudest it had all day and continued as they crossed the finish line. As they hit the wire, Jamieson raised his hand in a salute to the crowd.
Washington Court House’s Cameron McCown had an excellent day in the preliminaries, winning three times and finishing second once.
He always has been fan-friendly and has a personality like a lightning bug — lighting things up wherever he is. With all his success, his hat size never increased.
And he passes around praise like Halloween candy.
“The horse, of course, was performing amazingly,” he said. “Everybody did their jobs, including me, which I was most happy about.”
Al Papi was not the place horse. Mellillo, another Ron Burke horse, passed Al Papi.
And Jamieson knew all about Melillo. He and Redland Rocket Man ran second to Melillo in a mid-August at Northfield Park.
But not this time.
Jamieson was outstanding, but the way Redland Rocket Man rocketed around the track, Jamieson could have just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
Well, for sure, he enjoyed it.
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