Lonestar Legend opened up the eyes of many in the $58,797 second division of the Little Brown Jug, as David Miller guided the Western Hanover - Precious Shopper colt to a stunning 1:49.3 track record performance.
Darting to the lead from the rail, Miller carved out fractions of :27.3, :55.1, and 1:21.4 before coming home in 27.4 to trip the timer in Delaware record time and first heat world record time, with pocket sitter Rudy Rednose (Brian Sears) staying for second and Mystery Chase (John Campbell) also qualifying for the final by grabbing the show spot.
"No, I didn't expect :49.3 from him," stated Miller after the win. "It was his first time on a half. Don [trainer Don Swick] told me he was in good shape, and I didn't really ask him to go. He raced tremendous.
"Early on this year he was too aggressive, and Don's quieted him down. He went hard up the back when he didn't need to but I just had to let him pace."
Despite the track record performance, Miller will stick with Shadow Play in the final.
Don Swick trains Lonestar Legend for Royal Wire Products Inc. of North Royalton, OH, and United Process Control Co. of Hillsborough, NJ.