by Tom White, publicity director, the Little Brown Jug

Delaware, OH — Looking for some help in selecting your 10 horses for the 2010 Little Brown Jug Fantasy Contest?

The first race in this year’s Jug Fantasy Contest is the Hoosier Cup Final, to be raced Saturday, May 29, at Hoosier Park. You must select 10 eligible Jug horses, two drivers and two trainers not later than 10 a.m., eastern time, on May 29. Also, you must “activate” five horses from your stable who will earn points in the Hoosier Cup. You may change your “active” stable before each race.

Updated point standings will be posted at www.jugbarn.com during the weeks leading up to the 65th Little Brown Jug, to be raced Thursday afternoon, September 23, at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. Complete rules governing play, may also be found on line at www.jugbarn.com. More than 50 prizes are being awarded in this year’s contest that is a joint venture between the Delaware County Fair and the U.S. Trotting Association.

Early 2010 stakes winners

Rock N Roll Heaven, one of the top rated Jug challengers in most pre-season polls, won the year’s first major stakes, the $220,000 Berry Creek Final on Saturday, May 8, at the Meadowlands on a very windy night. Driven by Daniel Dube and trained by Bruce Saunders, Rock N Roll Heaven turned back Jug eligibles Fred And Ginger and Kyle Major in 1:52. Rock N Roll Heaven had finished third to Kyle Major in last week’s eliminations. The colt’s next start will be May 15 in a New Jersey Sire Stakes at the Meadowlands.

Ideal Matters, another Jug eligible, won the $67,000 Matt’s Scooter in 1:50.2 on April 24 at the Meadowlands. The colt is trained by Noel Daley and was driven by Tim Tetrick. The colt has not raced since April 24 but is expected to return this weekend at the Meadowlands. Ideal Matters did not race at two.

Early ratings by the experts

Three major harness racing publications have listed their ratings for the 2010 racing season. They are Hoof Beats’ Experimental Championship Ratings by Stan Bergstein; Trot magazine’s annual pre-North America Cup odds; and the Horseman And Fair World’s annual ratings by a group of leading trainers.

Only Jug eligibles are listed below under each publication.

Experimental Ratings

1-Sportswriter; 2-All Speed Hanover; 3-One More Laugh; 4-Rock N Roll Heaven; 5-Blue Rock; 6-Rockin Image; 8-Malicious; 10-Fancy Filly.

Trot Magazine

1-Sportswriter (3-1); 2-All Speed Hanover (6-1); 3-Rock N Roll Heaven (8-1); 4-One More Laugh (12-1); 5-Malicious (15-1); 6- Delmarvalous (18-1); 7-Rockin Image (20-1); 8-Woodstock (22-1).

Horseman And Fair World

Blair Burgess — All Speed Hanover, Sportswriter, Woodstock, Rock N Roll Heaven, Ideal Matters, Malicious, Rockin Image and One More Laugh.

Carl Jamieson — Sportswriter, All Speed Hanover, Malicious and Code Word.

Ed Lohmeyer — All Speed Hanover, Sportswriter, One More Laugh, Rock N Roll Heaven, Rockin Image, Malicious and Dr Dreamy.

Kelly O’Donnell — All Speed Hanover, Sportswriter, One More Laugh, Rock N Roll Heaven, Windfall Blue Chip, I’m Gorgeous, Malicious and Rockin Image.

George Teague, Jr. — All Speed Hanover, One More Laugh, Sportswriter, Rock N Roll Heaven, Rockin Image, Malicious, Blue Rock, Lord Terror and Woodstock.