A funny thing happened to Brent MacGrath as he dropped Beach Glass into the entry box for the 2023 Jim Ewart Memorial, set for this Saturday, Sept. 9 at Eldorado Scioto Downs as part of the richest night in Ohio harness racing history.

He found out the horse wasn't eligible.

Unable to find a list of eligibles online to confirm that the horse could be dropped into the box, MacGrath contacted Scioto Downs and eventually got in touch with the race office to confirm his horse was good to go. In this case, a $10,000 supplemental entry fee was needed to make that happen.

It's fair to say then that MacGrath and connections of Schooner II Stable feel confident in their four-year-old: a four-year-old making his seasonal debut in the $260,000 Ewart Memorial against a group of older pacers in midseason form averaging 16-plus starts to this point with four already sporting wins 1:47 range. That group includes 2023 Canadian Pacing Derby winner Tattoo Artist and 2023 William R. Haughton Memorial winner Charlie May.

Despite the competition, despite the lack of older starts, and despite drawing post nine — the statistically worst post at Scioto with a 5.7 win percentage — Beach Glass has been installed as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line. Yannick Gingras will drive Beach Glass, the four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere - Im With Her who sports a 12-4-0 summary in 18 career starts with $1.187 million in career earnings. Tattoo Artist, who leaves from post six for trainer Dr. Ian Moore and driver Louis-Philippe Roy, is the 2-1 favourite. Roy has driven Tattoo Artist three times and the duo has yet to taste defeat.

"He's awesome," MacGrath said of Beach Glass to Trot Insider on Wednesday. "We trained him there today at the farm. He trained strong and super, couldn't have been happier with him.

"He loves a five-eighths," MacGrath continued. "The situation is not perfect, but somebody had to get the nine hole."

The path to a four-year-old stakes debut wasn't the one MacGrath wanted to take. But given the tenuous nature of the colt's condition, the connections are more than thrilled to have Beach Glass entered for Saturday night. Clearly that's case, or else they wouldn't pony up $10,000 for the chance to race.

"It's extremely exciting and gratifying that we've taken our time, we did the right thing, and now it's up to him. Either he's good to go or he isn't. He's in as good a condition as we can get him in without putting him in [stakes] races."

MacGrath feels that third qualifier for Beach Glass, a mile in 1:49.2 for driver Paul MacDonell last Friday (Sept. 1) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, was key for the colt to prepare for this Saturday's test. Playtime is over, and those first two qualifiers were essentially playtime for Beach Glass.

"His whole demeanor...Paul was saying that he was just wasn't all that interested in doing very much," noted MacGrath. "Since we started working him harder, he's getting more interested. Today, training, he was on the muscle and wanting to go. He's ready to race."

The acid test is Saturday, and MacGrath admits that the last nine-plus months have been a grueling and stressful time for the connections since Beach Glass last raced, putting away Pebble Beach in the 2022 Progress Pace, then dealing with complications from a prior surgery to delay a return to the racetrack.

"At the end of the day, all we can do is the best we can do and protect him. But I'm not going to embarrass him or put him in a bad spot. If these things aren't working right for him, then he won't be racing."

The complete field for the Ewart is listed below in post position order as revealed at Tuesday's live draw. The open events will headline Saturday night’s 18-race program along with eight $400,000 Ohio Sires Stakes championships, marking the richest card in Ohio history with a total of $3.7 million in purses up for grabs. There will be a special early post time of 5 p.m. for Saturday's card, which will be carried live on the SC website. The Ewart is set for Race 14.

$260,000 Jim Ewart Memorial Pace
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Odds
1. Lous Pearlman - Chris Page - Ron Burke - 5-1
2. Sectionline Bigry - Dan Noble - Steve Bauder - 5-1
3. Chase H Hanover - Tony Hall - Virgil Morgan Jr. - 4-1
4. Backstreet Shadow - Tim Tetrick - Travis Alexander - 4-1
5. Little Rocket Man - Dexter Dunn - Ken Rucker - 10-1
6. Tattoo Artist - Louis-Philippe Roy - Dr. Ian Moore - 2-1
7. Fourever Boy - Aaron Merriman - Tim Twaddle - 10-1
8. Hellabalou - Ronnie Wrenn Jr. - Ron Burke - 8-1
9. Beach Glass - Yannick Gingras - Brent MacGrath - 3-1
10. Charlie May - Brett Miller - Steve Carter - 6-1
AE1. South Beach Star
AE2. Makin Some Noise