by Tom White, publicity director, The Little Brown Jug

Delaware, OH — Dr. Ian Moore, a veterinarian turned trainer, is living a boyhood dream as his 3-year-old pacer Shadow Play is the 5-2 second favorite in the first of three eliminations for Thursday’s $551,225 Little Brown Jug.

“I’ve been around horses since I was 12 years old and I have trained horses most of my adult life. I teach some veterinary courses during the week at Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown, PEI and train horses on weekends.”

Dr. Moore has only seen one Little Brown Jug, in 1971 when Nansemond upset Albatross.

“I was 14 years old.”

Dr. Moore purchased Shadow Play as a yearling for $16,000. Ron and Gail McLellan of New Brunswick and former Montreal Canadian hockey star and Hall of Famer Serge Savard of Quebec joined as partners in 2007.

Shadow Play has won three of his last five starts including the $350,000 Delvin Miller Adios.

“David Miller drove him very aggressively, and he likes that,” said Moore.

Racehorsephoto.com photo

Shadow Play held off Major General by a half-length in the Adios Final.

Shadow Play won his Adios elim in a career best and world record time of 1:48.2 and the final in 1:50.4.

The son of The Panderosa-Matt’s Filly captured his Confederation Cup elimination but he never had a chance from post eight in the final and finished fifth.

Shadow Play has won 9 of 18 starts this season and earned $335,678.

“I like his post position (four) here. He has been working real hard and he should be in top form come Jug Day. Shadow Play is my first Jug horse but we won the Jug Preview with Astronomical in 2005. He wasn’t eligible to the Jug and that was too bad because he had beaten most of the major contenders.”