Mr Feelgood not first Jug winner to be auctioned
December 27, 2006,by Dean A. Hoffman
When 2006 Little Brown Jug winner Mr Feelgood goes under the auctioneer’s hammer in early 2007, he won’t be the first Jug winner to be sold in the wake of his important victory.
In fact, Tar Heel, one of the greatest Jug winners in the race’s six decades, was sold at Harrisburg about five weeks after his record triumph at Delaware.
Most of the Jug winners, however, never see an auction ring after winning such an important race as they are hustled off to major breeding farms for stud service.
The sale of Tar Heel was prompted by the death of his breeder and owner, W.N. Reynolds, about 10 days before the Little Brown Jug in the fall of 1951. Tar Heel won the Jug over his stablemate Solicitor, pacing the first 2:00 mile on a half-mile track by a 3-year-old.Jug winners sent to the auction ring Tar Heel – 1951
Good Time – 1956
Mr Feelgood – 2007
Tar Heel and Solicitor were both featured in the Reynolds Dispersal at the Harrisburg sale in early November and Tar Heel fetched a bid of $125,000 while Solicitor was auctioned off for an even $100,000. Both were purchased as stallion prospects by Lawrence Sheppard of Hanover Shoe Farms.
Tar Heel was placed in training as a 4-year-old and lowered his mark to 1:57 in a time trial at Lexington. He then spent the next 30 years at Hanover Shoe Farms where he sired 1,368 foals, evenly split between 684 of each gender. He sired two Jug winners himself in Laverne Hanover (1969) and Nansemond (1971) but was best known as an outstanding broodmare sire.
The 1949 Little Brown Jug winner, Good Time, went through the auction ring a half century ago in December, 1956, several months after the death of his breeder and owner William H. Cane. Good Time was already entrenched in the stud barn at Castleton Farm in Kentucky. The conditions of the agreement between Cane and Castleton, however, called for Good Time to be sold at auction after Cane’s death with Castleton having a week to match the winning bid.
This sale took place at Keeneland because the Tattersalls Sale Barn had been destroyed by fire earlier that fall. Walnut Hall Farm and the Gray Brothers of Rhode Island were enthusiastic bidders, but when the dust had settled the winner was Ohio beer distributor Charlie Hill. He offered $116,000 for Good Time, but Castleton Farm exercised its option to match the winning bid. Walnut Hall Farm and the Gray Brothers later bought an interest from Castleton in Good Time.
Good Time sired a Jug winner himself in Best Of All (1967).
Mr Feelgood is sure to attract a substantial bid in January as he’s the fastest Jug winner in the history of the storied sophomore pacing classic. In his record 1:50h win in the opening heat of the Jug, driver Mark MacDonald sent Mr Feelgood to the front from the sixth post and never looked back.
He paced through fractions of 26.3, 54.3, and 1:21.4 before hitting the wire 1-1/2 lengths to the good over Armbro Dynamic.
In the Jug final, Mr Feelgood had the good fortune to draw the rail, but this time Armbro Deuce got to the front after an opening panel in 26 seconds. Mr Feelgood sat in the pocket behind the pacesetter, but edged out in the final quarter to win in 1:50.3.
The son of Grinfromeartoear didn’t win another race the rest of the year, but he was competitive in the top ranks of the 3-year-old pacers and ended the season with $687,649 in career earnings.