from Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

Freehold, NJ — Well Said, the No. 1 rated pacer in North America, will begin his Little Brown Jug heat from post No. 8; the outermost and most disadvantageous spot on the starting gate. Over the last 15 years, horses racing at the Delaware County Fairgrounds have won at a 6-percent clip from post eight, which is the worst percentage at the half-mile track.

Driver Ron Pierce, though, believes Well Said can win from post eight. In 1999, Pierce won from post seven in Blissfull Hall’s first Jug heat. Blissfull Hall went on to capture the Little Brown Jug and later completed a Triple Crown sweep with a victory in the Messenger Stakes.

Well Said’s heat (the full field is listed below) includes 8-5 favorite Vintage Master, who on September 7 won the Cane Pace, which is the first jewel in the Triple Crown.

Ron Pierce

“That’s just the luck of the draw (but) it’s not like the horse that cuts the mile wins it all the time out there,” said Pierce, who also won the Jug with Timesareachanging in 2005 and Shady Character in 1998. “I can race (Well Said) any way I want. That horse is extremely quick. As long as I can scoot around a couple of them at the start, I’ll be all right. I just don’t want to get stuck three wide. I would be better off first over instead of second over with bad cover.”

Well Said has won eight of 10 races this year, including the $1.3 million North America Cup, the $1 million Meadowlands Pace and the $500,000 Battle of the Brandywine. He is coming off a quarter-length win over Carnivore in 1:50.2 in a division of the Simcoe Stakes on September 12 at Mohawk Racetrack. It was his first start since August 16.

“He was good,” Pierce said. “I didn’t even have to start him up.”

Teague Happy: Trainer George Teague is satisfied with where his trainees have landed in Thursday afternoon’s 64th Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio. Mr Wiggles, driven by Corey Callahan, was made 2-1 in the morning line from post No. 4 in the first $97,464 heat of the Jug. Chasin Racin, driven by David Miller from post three in the second of the opening-round heats, is 8-1. Both horses are owned by Teague and Elmer Fannin.

“It’s better than some of the other ones in a 10-horse field,” Teague said of Mr Wiggles’ starting spot. “There’s no easy spot. Period.”

Mr Wiggles, who earlier this year won the Hoosier Cup and was second in the Delvin Miller Adios, is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Cane Pace on September 7, where he raced on the outside almost the entire mile.

George Teague, Jr.

“He didn’t leave,” Teague said. “I don’t tell them how to drive, but you don’t want to pull first over on a half (mile track) against the best horse on the front end; it kind of even things up with the other horses. He only got beat a short ways for second, but it was a tough spot that he landed in early. He might not have advanced too much early any way, but he raced good. I wasn’t disappointed with the way he raced. But first over is a tough spot.”

Chasin Racin, who was second in both the Hoosier Cup and the Battle of the Brandywine, will be making his first start this year on a smaller track.

“He’s a big horse, he’s always been slick-gaited, held the turns on every track, so I think he’ll be fine,” Teague said. “As bad as it is (the transition to a smaller track) it’ll be worse for Well Said (who starts from the outside post No. 8).”

Chasin Racin will have the services of two-time Little Brown Jug winner Miller, with Teague bypassing the horse’s catch driver in his last two starts (a win in a qualifier and a second-place finish in a conditioned event at Harrah’s Chester) — his 18-year-old son, Montrell.

“Maybe next year,” Teague said with a laugh. “He does a good job, but it’s a little much for a young fellow to start there. If I owned him all myself, I would. He’s pretty cool about everything; he doesn’t take pressure too hard. He’s as cool as they come; he’s got that part conquered pretty easy. He’s not intimidated. That’s the way his nature is, he’s low key. He doesn’t get overwhelmed with pressure. But those other guys, Dave Miller, Brian Sears, Corey Callahan, they’ve advanced themselves to a certain position and maybe someday Montrell will, too.”

Teague thinks the race will come down to who is forwardly placed right off the starting gate.

“I’ve looked at quite a few races over the years and I haven’t seen too many horses win from off the pace, getting too far back,” he said. “Maybe from the two spot, three spot, but very rarely do you see one that’s really done any good by coming from too far off the pace.

“If you’re not third or fourth and you take back, you’re in a bad spot, so you pretty much have to go forward. You have to be going forward from the gate, if history repeats itself.”

Teague grew up in the harness racing business and although his family was on the Delmarva Peninsula, he has always wanted to win the Jug, one of the few classics to escape him so far.

“If you’re a horseperson, you want to win this race, for the prestige of it,” Teague said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to win the Meadowlands Pace and the North America Cup and that was very fulfilling. This definitely falls in the same category.”

Following are the first-heat fields for the Little Brown Jug in post position order with listed drivers, trainers and odds. A horse must win two heats to be declared the Jug winner. The top four finishers from the first heats will return for the second.

Heat One: 1. Straight Shooting, Dave Palone, Ron Burke, 10-1; 2. Bunkmeister, Andrew McCarthy, Steve LeBlanc, 12-1; 3. Keep It Real, John Campbell, Joey Shea, 8-1; 4. Mr Wiggles, Corey Callahan, George Teague Jr., 2-1; 5. River Shark, Luc Ouellette, David Sabatelli, 4-1; 6. Annieswesterncard, Peter Wrenn, Joe Seekman, 6-1; 7. Doubleshotascotch, Jim Morrill, Jr., Noel Daley, 12-1; 8. Clear Vision, David Miller, Richard Norman, 10-1; 9. Pedro Island, Mike Wilder, Dave Rankin, 15-1; 10. If I Can Dream, Tim Tetrick, Tracy Brainard, 7-2. Pedro Island and If I Can Dream start from the second tier.

Owners: 1. Bulletproof Enterprises; 2. Badlands Racing, Jerry Silva; 3. Wayne Whebby; 4. Elmer Fannin, George Teague Jr. Inc.; 5. El Lobo LLC, Aaron Waxman, VIP Internet Stable; 6. Sawgrass Farms; 7. David Scharf, Adam Victor & Son Stable, Lindy Farms of Connecticut, Kenneth Tucci; 8. John Fielding, David McDuffee; 9. DM Stables; 10. Bulletproof Enterprises.

Straight Shooting won a division of the Nassagaweya last year . . . Bunkmeister won multiple legs of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes this year and was fifth in the championship on September 12 . . . Keep It Real won a division of the Burlington Stakes and was third in the North America Cup . . . Mr Wiggles won the Hoosier Cup and was second in the Adios . . . River Shark won the Suslow Series and was second in the Confederation Cup . . . Annieswesterncard won the Monument Circle and Berry’s Creek . . . Doubleshotascotch won the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship . . . Clear Vision was second in both the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship and the Cane Pace . . . If I Can Dream won the Confederation Cup and Art Rooney Pace.

Heat Two: 1. Carnivore, Jody Jamieson, Jack Darling, 4-1; 2. Vertical Horizon, Jim Morrill, Jr., Tracy Brainard, 8-1; 3. Chasin Racin, David Miller, George Teague, Jr., 8-1; 4. Vintage Master, Daniel Dube, Jimmy Takter, 8-5; 5. Born To Rockn Roll, John Campbell, Ron Potter, 20-1; 6. Nob Hill High, Tim Tetrick, Bill Webb, 20-1; 7. Fireintheshark, George Brennan, Jim Campbell, 15-1; 8. Well Said, Ron Pierce, Steve Elliott, 5-2; 9. Sheer Desire, Dave Palone, Ron Burke, 6-1.

Owners: 1. Jack Darling Stable; 2. Bulletproof Enterprises; 3. Elmer Fannin, George Teague, Jr. Inc.; 4. Brittany Farms, the estate of Brian Monieson; 5. F.T.F. Inc.; 6. Robert Mondillo, Donald Robinson; 7. Arlene Siegel, Jules Siegel; 8. Jeff Snyder, Lothlorien; 9. Burke Racing Stable, Randy Ringer, JJK Stables, Lawrence Karr.

Carnivore won a division of the Burlington Stakes, was second to Sheer Desire in the Kentucky Sire Stakes championship and was second to Well Said in a division of the Simcoe . . . Vertical Horizon was second in the Monument Circle and second in a division of the Simcoe . . . Chasin Racin won the Matt’s Scooter Series and was second in the Hoosier Cup and Battle of the Brandywine . . . Vintage Master won the Cane Pace and the Adios and was second in the Meadowlands Pace . . . Nob Hill High won the Hayes Memorial and was third in the Hoosier Cup . . . Fireintheshark was second in the Art Rooney Pace . . . Well Said won the North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace, Battle of the Brandywine and a division of the Simcoe . . . Sheer Desire won the Kentucky Sire Stakes championship.