Could it be two in a row for Ohio? A Rocknroll Dance, trained by Jim Mullinix of Wauseon and co-owned by Denny Miller of Archbold, is the 7-5 favourite in the first of two wagering pools for the 2012 Little Brown Jug.
Bolt The Duer is next at 5-1 and Thinking Out Loud is third at odds of 6-1.
A Rocknroll Dance will race Monday afternoon in the $322,716 final of the Cane Pace at Tioga Downs. The Cane is the first leg of pacing’s Triple Crown, followed by the Little Brown Jug on September 20 in Delaware, Ohio and the Messenger Stakes on November 10 at Yonkers Raceway.
A Rocknoll Dance, who was runner-up to Sweet Lou (11-1) as two-year-old pacing colt of 2011 in the U.S., got off to a slow start this season, but has come on strong, winning the $600,000 final of the Meadowlands Pace and $500,000 Battle of Brandywine. Mullinix and Miller share ownership with Jerry and Theresa Silva of Long Beach, New York and Diamond Creek Farm of Paris, Kentucky. Yannick Gingras is the driver.
Bolt The Duer is on a roll with a World Record 1:47.4 victory in the $600,000 Adios over A Rocknroll Dance and last week’s Kentucky Sires Stakes win at the Red Mile. Bolt The Duer is trained by Peter Foley, owned by All Star Racing of New Jersey, and driven by Mark MacDonald. Bolt The Duer’s next start is the $250,000 KYSS Final on September 9.
North America Cup winner Thinking Out Loud moved back among the major Jug contenders with a 1:49.2 win in last weekend’s KYSS victory. Trained by Bob McIntosh, Thinking Out Loud also has Ohio connections. He is co-owned by the CSX Stable of Liberty Center, Ohio, who also bred the colt along with McIntosh. Mark MacDonald subbed for Randy Waples in the sulky. His next start is the Kentucky Sires Stakes Final on September 9.
The second future pool will be from 12:00 p.m. Sunday, September 16 through 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 19, the first three afternoons of Grand Circuit racing at the Delaware County Fair. Complete past performance lines for all Jug starters will be available free of charge on the Little Brown Jug website (littlebrownjug.com).
Final Odds For First Jug Future Wagering Pool
(No. - Horse - Odds)
1 - Allstar Legend - 50-1
2 - A Rocknroll Dance - 7-5
3 - Bakin On The Beach - 99-1
4 - Bettors Edge - 50-1
5 - Bolt The Duer - 5-1
6 - Brent Montana - 99-1
7 - Caviart Key - 99-1
8 - Coral Snake - 99-1
9 - Dapper Dude - 18-1
10 - Hillbilly Hanover - 70-1
11 - Hurrikane King Cole - 11-1
12 - Ideal Champ - 60-1
13 - I Fought Dalaw - 70-1
14 - Major Bombay - 80-1
15 - Mel Mara - 99-1
16 - Michaels Power - 15-1
17 - Mortan Zin - 99-1
18 - Secretsoftheknight - 99-1
19 - Simply Business - 99-1
20 - Steelhead Hanover - 50-1
21 - Sweet Lou - 11-1
22 - Thinking Out Loud - 6-1
23 - Time To Roll - 50-1
24 - Field - 10-1
(LBJ)