“It takes so much luck...So many horses can go fast. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend or how hard you work. You can’t beat luck. You need a little to go your way.”
Ontario-based trainer David Menary knows he has one of the favourites in the 2014 Little Brown Jug, set for today (Thursday) at the Delaware County Fair. What he also knows all too well is how much luck has played a factor in getting him to this point.
The story of Menary paying a paltry $3,000 for a yearling colt named Hes Watching has been well-documented to this point, at which the son of American Ideal heads into the second leg of pacing's Triple Crown as one of the horses to beat.
“I was lucky that I was there and not doing something else at the time,” Menary told the Columbus Dispatch. “When he was going through the ring at that price, I thought they were on the wrong horse.”
That lucky chance has paid off handsomely for Menary and his friends Brad Gray and Michael Guerriero, who paid $750 for his share. Hes Watching now has in excess of $1.1 million in earnings.
Hes Watching was pegged as a Triple Crown hopeful, but those hopes were dashed on Labour Day when Lyonssomewhere upset the favourite in the Cane Pace at Tioga Downs.
“We gave him three weeks off before and after the Meadowlands Pace and 18 days before the Jug,” continued Menary. “He’ll be one of the freshest, and he’s seemed to enjoy that.”
Trot Insider will provide live recaps from all of Thursday's major races at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
Elim One:
1. Lets Drink On It, Tyler Smith, Joe Seekman, 5-1
2. Winds Of Change, Brett Miller, Linda Toscano, 8-1
3. Three Of Clubs, Doug McNair, Gregg McNair, 10-1
4. On Golden Ponder, John Campbell, Bob McIntosh, 7-2
5. At Press Time, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke, 8-1
6. Beat The Drum, Ron Pierce, Staffan Lind, 15-1
7. Lyonssomewhere, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter, 5-2
8. Rediscovery, Chris Page, Ben Davis, 20-1
Elim Two:
1. McWicked, David Miller, Casie Coleman, 7-5
2. Limelight Beach, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke, 6-1
3. Avalanche Hanover, Aaron Merriman, Ron Potter, 12-1
4. Capital Account, Ron Pierce, Jimmy Takter, 10-1
5. Somewhere In L A, Brett Miller, Jimmy Takter, 7-2
6. Hes Watching, Tim Tetrick, Dave Menary, 5-2
7. Sometimes Said, John Campbell, Jim Campbell, 10-1
8. Cammikey, scratched.
The Little Brown Jug brought to you by Fazoli’s will air live from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The last Jug elimination heat will be shown live at approximately 5:11 p.m. The remaining elimination will be covered on a tape delay basis. The second heat of the Jug will be shown live at approximately 6:15 p.m. If a race-off is necessary, CBS Sports Network will cut into its regularly scheduled program at 7:00 p.m. to show the race-off live. Post time of the race-off would be approximately 7:02 p.m.
To view printable program pages for the Little Brown Jug card, click the following link:
Program Pages - Jug Card (Thursday) - Delaware County Fair