by Paul Ramlow, USTA Internet News Manager

Columbus, OH — Joe Muscara’s Mister Big will make his 2009 pari-mutuel debut this evening in a $35,000 Open Handicap Pace at Harrah’s Chester.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Mister Big will make his 2009 debut in a $35,000 Open Handicap Pace at Harrah’s Chester.

The Grinfromeartoear-World’s Sweetheart stallion will start from post position six in a field of a half-dozen. Regular driver Brian Sears has the assignment in the sulky for trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr.

Mister Big enters the 2009 season with high expectations. He has finished no worse than second in 13 of the 16 major stakes finals in which he competed in 2007 and 2008, winning nine of them, and set earnings records for older pacers both years. Last year, he joined Red Bow Tie as the only older male pacers since 1977 to win back-to-back Dan Patch Award divisional honors. If the 6-year-old can grab another trophy this year, he will join Rambling Willie as the only ones in history to win three.

Entering this season, Mister Big ranked fifth on the all-time money list for pacers, and if he comes anywhere near duplicating his efforts of the past two years, he will move ahead of Gallo Blue Chip, who banked $4.2 million lifetime, into the top spot.

Mister Big has had five qualifying efforts this year, all wins, and after his start on Thursday he is scheduled to travel to Hoosier Park for his first stakes engagement of the season, the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational, on June 20.

Here is the field for Thursday’s $35,000 Open Handicap Pace at Harrah’s Chester. It is the tenth race on the program, with an estimated post time of 7:51 p.m. (EDT).

PP–Horse–Driver–Trainer–Morning Line
1–Jk Lullabye–Corey Callahan–Todd Wise–12-1
2–Mighty Young Joe–Stacy Chiodo–Stacy Chiodo–8-1
3–Lucky Bettor–Yannick Gingras–Ronald Burke–5-1
4–Mr Apples–Mark Mayes–George Teague, Jr.–7-2
5–Montecito N–Tim Tetrick–Monte Gelrod–5-2
6–Mister Big–Brian Sears–Virgil Morgan, Jr.–8-5