by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — For Pet Rock, supplementing to the Cane Pace means a chance to get into the Little Brown Jug. For Heston Blue Chip, supplementing is a chance at redemption.

Pet Rock, Heston Blue Chip and State Treasurer were supplemented to the Cane Pace, the first jewel in the Pacing Triple Crown, for $35,000 apiece. The race attracted a total of 11 entries, so a single elimination will be held Sunday at Tioga Downs. The top seven finishers will join A Rocknroll Dance and Time To Roll, which accepted byes, in the $322,716 final on Labor Day, Sept. 3.

Mike Lizzi photo

Pet Rock has banked $554,812 in 11 starts this year.

The connections of Pet Rock had an opportunity to take one of the two byes, which were based on seasonal earnings, but elected to compete in the $107,572 elim. Pet Rock drew post No. 8 in the nine-horse field.

“I think most people might think it’s a little bizarre to race, but the elimination is going for $107,000, and two in the group were going to get byes,” said Virgil Morgan Jr., who trains Pet Rock for owner Frank Bellino. “We’ve got to finish in the top seven to make the final, but at the same time we get to race for $107,000. Considering they put in $35,000 to supplement, we’re going to go ahead and race.”

Pet Rock is not eligible to the Little Brown Jug, which is the second jewel in the Triple Crown. The only way for a horse to supplement into the Little Brown Jug is to win the Cane Pace. The Little Brown Jug is Sept. 20 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio.

“There are plenty of big races on his plate, but that’s the biggest one for me,” said Morgan, who is an Ohio native.

Pet Rock has won four of 11 races this year, including the Art Rooney Pace, and earned $554,812. He has finished no worse than third in 10 starts and is heading to the Cane Pace off a second-place finish to A Rocknroll Dance in the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine at Harrah’s Philadelphia last Sunday.

Driver Brian Sears and Pet Rock were sixth through the first half of the Battle of the Brandywine and went three wide on the final turn en route to finishing 1-1/2 lengths from the winner.

“He raced super,” Morgan said. “He got stopped a little bit at the three-quarter pole, Brian had to check him for a brief moment, and went three wide. When you’re going in 1:48.1 and have to do those things and still have pace late, I think it was probably one of his best races of the year.

“He’s been very consistent,” the trainer added. “He’s quietly made $550,000. I think if you watch my horse’s individual efforts he’s had to overcome post positions and some trips just as luck would have it, but he shows up every week and loves to do his work.”

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Heston Blue Chip has won 19 times in his career and cashed $759,788 in purse checks.

Heston Blue Chip, who has won eight of nine races this year and owns the track record at Tioga Downs for 3-year-old pacers, drew post No. 5 for the Cane Pace elim. Although Heston Blue Chip also is not paid to the Little Brown Jug, a chance to continue on the Triple Crown trail was not part of the reasoning for supplementing to the Cane.

“I just wanted another shot at the big boys,” said owner Ken Jacobs, who saw Heston Blue Chip suffer his only defeat of the season in the $600,000 Meadowlands Pace in July; a race won by A Rocknroll Dance. “It’s another chance to show everybody I have a pretty good horse. I think he was real good at the Meadowlands Pace, but he didn’t win, so let’s give it another try. That’s the only reason I put him in.”

Heston Blue Chip, who has won 19 of 22 career races and $759,788, is 6-for-6 lifetime at Tioga Downs and is coming off a track-record 1:48.4 win at the oval in the $270,400 Empire Breeders Classic on Aug. 12. Trained by Linda Toscano and driven by Tim Tetrick, the colt has raced primarily on the New York circuit this year.

“He likes to race at Tioga, so it’s pretty nice,” Jacobs said. “I think it will be a good race for him. I think he deserves the opportunity.”

Even if Heston Blue Chip wins the Cane Pace, he will not go to the Little Brown Jug. Instead, Jacobs said he will send the colt to the $225,000 New York Sire Stakes championship on Sept. 22 at Yonkers Raceway.

“Then we’ve got the Breeders Crown and the Progress (Pace) and the Matron,” Jacobs said. “So we’ve still got some big races.”

Here is the field in post position order for the Cane Pace elimination: 1. Bettor’s Edge, David Miller, Linda Toscano; 2. Steelhead Hanover, Jim Morrill Jr., Joe Pavia Jr.; 3. Mybrothergeorge, Dan Noble, Tony O’Sullivan; 4. Simply Business, Ron Pierce, Jimmy Takter; 5. Heston Blue Chip, Tim Tetrick, Toscano; 6. State Treasurer, David Miller, Ian Moore; 7. Dynamic Youth, Andrew McCarthy, Aaron Lambert; 8. Pet Rock, Brian Sears, Virgil Morgan Jr.; 9. I Fought Dalaw, Daniel Dube, Sam DePinto.