by Tom White

Bob McIntosh, Hall of Fame trainer, told harnessracing.com Friday that he hopes to have the 3-year-old pacer Nebupanezzar ready for the Little Brown Jug.

The son of 2003 Jug champion No Pan Intended has not raced since he won the Ontario Sires Stakes Final last November due to a tendon injury in his right front leg.

“I was very pleased with him and Steve (driver Condren) was too,” said McIntosh shortly after Nebupanezzar won his qualifier by 5-1/2 lengths in 1:53.2.

Nebupanezzar was the richest 2-year-old pacer in 2008, earning $946,365 for Bob Glazer’s Peter Pan Stables. He won 10 of 14 starts.

McIntosh said he plans two more qualifiers before deciding on an exact pari-mutuel schedule.

McIntosh said that the Little Brown Jug is now very much in the cards for Nebupanezzar as he hopes to finally win the race that is missing from his resume. “Everything looks good soundness-wise; he just needs some tightening up.”

Jug Wall of Fame Honoree Joe Thomson Helps Transylvania University

Joe Thomson, owner of Winbak Farm and the 2009 Little Brown Jug Wall of Fame honoree has brought national glory to Transylvania University. Thomson is a graduate of Transylvania and a member of the Lexington, KY school’s board of directors.

Transylvania’s Thomson Residence Hall, named for Joe and wife JoAnn, earned Federal Energy Star certification status this week after showing its success in energy efficiency. Thomson Hall, which opened last fall, is a three-story building with 31 suites that uses geothermal heating and air conditioning. The dorm has saved Transylvania $20,330 in utility bills over the past 12 months. Transy is one of two residence halls in the southeast to receive this prestigious designation.

Thomson and his wife led a fund drive which financed the construction of the student dormitory and the university honored the couple by naming the building after them.

Thomson will be inducted into the Wall of Fame and presented a commemorative gold ring at the Mayor’s Breakfast to be held in the Hospitality Pavilion on the Delaware, Ohio County Fairgrounds on September 23, the date of the Jugette Filly Pace.