On Friday, September 6 Myron Bell, the managing partner of the Captaintreacherous Stable, notified the officials of the Little Brown Jug that their colt would not be competing in the 68th edition of the $550,000 (est) Little Brown Jug.
On behalf of Captaintreacherous Racing, Bell cited "the long-term interest" of the colt.
A son of Somebeachsomewhere - who also skipped the Jug in 2008 - Captaintreacherous is harness racing's top ranked three-year-old with wins in seven of eight seasonal starts and a career bankroll of more than $2.3 million in purses.
"The officials, staff, volunteers of the Little Brown Jug have been preparing to put on a great week of racing and we are going to fulfill that promise," noted Tom Wright the Director of Racing and the President of the Little Brown Jug Society. "Almost all of the greatest three-year-old pacers have won or competed in the Little Brown Jug...Good Time, Albatross, Bret Hanover, Niatross, Nihilator, Rock N Roll Heaven. We will be very proud to put the name of another champion on the Little Brown Jug."
Wright added, "While we are disappointed in their decision, we are more disappointed for the fans. In a sport that could use positive press, we had a tremendous opportunity to showcase a great horse in front of 40,000 plus fans."
In August the Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association, with unanimous approval from the Ohio State Racing Commission, allocated $50,000 of the revenue from the horsemen's video lottery terminal proceeds to the Delaware County Fair for the Little Brown Jug. With 16 starters and the allocation the 2013 Little Brown Jug purse is expected to be in excess of $550,000.
The Delaware County Fair's Grand Circuit week begins on Sunday, September 15 and continues on Tuesday, September 17 through Thursday, September 19.
(Little Brown Jug)