by Jerry Connors

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — George Santayana

Harrisburg, PA — Surprised that Wiggle It Jiggleit lost the Cane Pace on Saturday?

Historically, you shouldn’t have been.

Wiggle It Jiggleit had not raced before the Cane since the Meadowlands Pace, three weeks prior — a long time to be away when racing at the cutting edge of the sport, and often a time for handicappers to look to try to upset the chalk — as backers of 26-1 shot Dealt A Winner found to their delight.

Students of the Oliver Wendell Homes Pace, the event for 3-year-old pacing colts that used to be held on Hambletonian Day before it was dropped in 2012, know it was notorious for being the “graveyard of favorites,” of horses coming off a first or second place finish in “The Pace” and not having been in a race since (a qualifier is not the same thing as actual competition).

Look at examples from 2000 to 2011, the dozen years since the start of the century and the last Holmes, with the one-two Pace finishers, most at low odds, being defeated except as noted:

2011: Roll With Joe goes off at 11-10 after winning the Meadowlands Pace. Big Jim, who was second in the Pace, actually was the favorite at 4-5*; he did have a race, but only a NJSS leg in which he was 1-20*, not vs. Grand Circuit stock. They were both upset by Shadyshark Hanover at 21-1.

2010: Pace winner One More Laugh goes off at 3-5* and is defeated by 5-1 shot Delmarvalous (coming off an Adios victory the previous week). In the other Holmes division, Rock N Roll Heaven, second in the Pace and 3-10*, is beaten out by Rockin Image at 6-1. (It runs in the family; see below.)

2007: Tell All, 6-5* and second in the Pace, goes down to defeat — although this is not as strong an example, since the winner against him was Pace winner Southwind Lynx, who also had been off, but this technically qualifies as Southwind Lynx was not the favorite, although well-respected at 3-2.

2005: Pace champion Rocknroll Hanover, sent off at 3-10*, is upended by 5-1 American Ideal.

2004: Holborn Hanover loses to Georgia Pacific. Holborn Hanover had not been expected to win the Meadowlands Pace — he was 58-1 — and was not favored in this division, but this pattern still ate up a lot of 9-2 cash. Holborn Hanover was still two years away from his glory on Hambo Day, when he paced to a world record 1:46.4 in the U.S. Pacing Championship.

2001: Bettor’s Delight, second in the Pace and 3-10* on Holmes Day, is knocked off by LCB, who was 7-2 as part of an entry with I’ve Got Life.

So, Team Teague, don’t feel so bad about the Cane defeat. Your horse had some wicked competition, as the fractions testify — and you were bucking history to some degree.

And bettors, file this one away for possible future reference.

The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.