A field of 19 sophomore pacers have dropped into the box for the $552,551 Little Brown Jug, the second leg of Pacing's Triple Crown, set for Thursday (Sept. 19) at the Delaware County Fair.

Casie Coleman, who conditioned last year's Jug champion, Michaels Power, will be looking to make it two straight at Delaware when she sends Vegas Vacation and Lucan Hanover behind the gate on Thursday. The last trainer to win back-to-back Jugs is Tom Artandi who won with BJ Scoot in 1988 and Goalie Jeff in 1989.

Vegas Vacation is the top ranked horse in the latest "Road to the Little Brown Jug" and comes to Delaware off a Simcoe Stakes record of 1:48.3 for 3-year-old pacing males on Saturday (Sept. 7) at Mohawk. The bay colt also captured the $257,250 Empire Breeders Classic at Tioga in August and was second in both the $500,000 Max Hempt and the $450,000 Adios.

Trained by Coleman for owners Adriano Sorella, Anthony Beaton, Phyllis Saunders and West Wins Stable, Vegas Vacation has won eight of 23 lifetime starts, with $650,061 in career earnings. The son of Bettors Delight - Dont You Smile has a 7-3-1 record from 13 starts this season, with earnings of $554,310. He has drawn post position five in the first elimination for driver Brian Sears and has been listed as the 2-1 morning line favourite.

Coleman's other Jug starter will be Lucan Hanover, a son of stallion Western Ideal out of the mare Lauren Order. He is owned by West Wins Stable and Christine Calhoun. Lucan Hanover has won six of his 12 season's starts, with earnings of $216,908. He is seven for 16 lifetime, with a bankroll of $234,428.

Lucan Hanover had won three of his first 10 career races before Coleman put him in the Summertime Pacing Series at Mohawk Racetrack. He swept two preliminary legs and the final as a precursor to his lifetime-best 1:48.3 win from post eight in the $250,000 New Jersey Classic at Meadowlands Racetrack, his biggest win to date. In his last start, Lucan Hanover was third in a Simcoe contest at Mohawk. He is the 5-2 morning line favourite in the second elimination and will score from the four hole for driver David Miller.

"Everything is going great," said Coleman of her two Jug starters. "I trained both of them yesterday (Friday) and they are real good. After I jog them tomorrow (Sunday), we are shipping to Delaware.

"The draw was good; with six- and seven-horse fields you can't draw the eight."

Adios champion Sunfire Blue Chip will be among the other leading contenders in Thursday's Jug. The Jimmy Takter trainee has won six of 12 starts this year and earned $$448,830. The son of American Ideal - Shot Togo Bluechip is owned by Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding, Brixton Medical AB and RAW Equine.

One of two Takter trainees in the field (the other being Rockin Amadeus), Sunfire Blue Chip will start from post three in the third elimination for driver Yannick Gingras and is the morning line choice at 2-1.

The top three horses in each of the elimination races will advance to the $265,224 second heat. If an elimination winner scores in the second heat, he will be the Jug winner. Otherwise, the four heat-winners will return for a $110,510 race-off.

The exact race numbers and post times for the LBJ will be announced after the balance of the Thursday program is drawn on Monday.

Below is the field for the $552,551 Little Brown Jug, in post position order, with listed drivers, trainers and morning line odds.

$58,939 First Elimination
HN-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Eddie Sweat - Dan Noble - Edward Zubkoff, Jr. - 20-1
2. Lonewolf Currier - Dave Palone - Kevin McDermott - 4-1
3. Rockin Amadeus - Yannick Gingras - Jimmy Takter - 5-2
4. Right Touch - Ray Paver-Ray Paver - 6-1
5. Vegas Vacation - Brian Sears - Casie Coleman - 2-1
6. Wake Up Peter - Ron Pierce - Tony Alagna - 8-1

$58,939 Second Elimination
HN-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Ilikeitrealhot - Matt Kakaley - Ron Potter - 15-1
2. Mach It So - Scott Zeron - Nifty Norman - 4-1
3. Emeritus Maximus - Tim Tetrick - Tony Alagna - 8-1
4. Lucan Hanover - David Miller - Casie Coleman - 5-2
5. Beach Memories - David Miller - Brian Brown - 6-1
6. Word Power - Jody Jamieson - Larry Remmen - 5-1
7. Urbanite Hanover - Tim Tetrick - John Williamson - 12-1

$58,939 Third Elimination
HN-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Twilight Bonfire - John Campbell - Danny Collins - 5-2
2. Resistance Futile - Andy Miller - Blair Burgess - 10-1
3. Sunfire Blue Chip - Yannick Gingras - Jimmy Takter - 2-1
4. Johny Rock - Andy Miller - John Butenschoen - 4-1
5. Odds On Equuleus - Tim Tetrick - Tony Alagna - 8-1
6. Only The Lonely - Matt Kakaley - Nick Surick - 15-1

(Grand Circuit)