by Jay Wolf, assistant publicity director, The Little Brown Jug

Delaware, OH — It took a hurricane to silence Roger Huston! The Hall of Fame announcer was forced to watch in silence because 40–50 mile per hour winds from Hurricane Ike Sunday afternoon knocked out power to the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

Along with no power, there also was no wagering on the four races that completed Sunday’s card.

Only one auxiliary light is on underneath the grandstand as bettors visit the generator-run betting machines.

Huston, who called his first Little Brown Jug in 1967, watched as undefeated 2-year-old pacing filly Best Of Ball captured the $30,263 first division of the Ohio Breeders Championship. The victory earned the Down The Lane Stable filly the Ohio Triple Crown. Best Of Ball had won the first two legs, the Ohio State Fair and the Ohio Sires Stakes Championship.

Best Of Ball (Presidential Ball-Ms Mulan) also equaled the stakes record of 1:55.3 in stretching her unbeaten string to seven straight. She also increased her lifetime bankroll to $108,268 with her 2-3/4 length victory over Forever Ivy and Cruisinthecoat. Best Of Ball is trained and driven by Jim Dailey.

Jellyfish Joy won the second $30,363 OBC in 1:58.4 with Chris Page in the sulky. Outstanding BB finished second with Kimmy Cruiser third. Jellyfish Joy (Cam’s Magic Trick-Enticement) is owned by Daniel Wozniak and trained by Brian Brown.

Mac Angel (BJ’s Mac-Angela Crown) won the $19,859 OBC 3-year-old filly trot in 2:00 for Mike Wilder. Jim Arledge, Jr. trains for owner Robert J. Key.

Generator supplied power was on for the start of the originally scheduled Monday racing card.

The regular Monday card featured pairs of Ohio Breeders Championship’s for freshman filly and colt trotters.

USTA/Mark Hall photos

A rare sight shows the starting gate following the race around the track with the associate judge aboard as they go by the wind-torn VIP tent on the first turn.

In the $28,663 first division of the filly trot, Get Chipped (Russell Swartz) capitalized on an early break by Rose Run Keepsake (Steve Carter) and never looked back in her 1:59.3 score.

Get Chipped won for the fourth time in just seven starts and lowered her lifetime mark. The Chip Chip Hooray-Patti Page lass is owned by Acadia Farm and Pat Holden and conditioned by Marty Wollam. Shady Chip (Kurt Sugg) was eight lengths back in second and Shake It Whitney (Mark Evers) was third.

In the second $28,663 division, Allthatnabagofchip (Ryan Stahl) split rivals and survived a five way photo to score a mild upset in 2:02.3. Allthatnabagofchip (Chip Chip Hooray-Cynthia Iliad) won for just the second time this season for Kor-Ann Stables and trainer Kent Sherman. Mafia Princess (Jim Dailey) and Aim High Kourtney (Jeff Nisonger) rounded out the top three.

In the $35,738 first colt division, Master’s Cook (Kyle Ater) took the early lead, led gate-to-wire, and held off B Contemporary (Jim Dailey) by three parts of a length. The final time of 1:59.4 was a new lifetime best for the Master Lavec-CC Cupcake colt. Master’s Cook is owned by James Snyder and trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr.

In the final $35,738 division, Deep Chip (Jim Dailey) joined the Ohio Triple Crown club with a convincing victory in 1:59.1. Deep Chip (Chip Chip Hooray-Ceremonial) has won six of seven starts for owners Kathy Ratcliff and Jerry Zosel. Name It Ultra (Brett Miller) and Master In Charge (Sam Noble III) rounded out the trifecta.

Post time for Tuesday’s card is 12:00 noon.

Billings boys can handle pacers, too

The Tim Fouts Memorial was the only amateur race slated to go to post on Sunday at Delaware that didn’t get contested due to the inclement weather which forced a postponement of the final five races on the card.

However that event was raced on Monday and resulted in the Billings leaders Todd “the Downeaster” Whitney and Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford, finishing one-two in the pacing contest.

Of course, everyone knows that the C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series is contested with trotters but that doesn’t mean that the drivers who participate only handle the diagonal-gaited steeds.

Many do drive pacers, especially Todd Whitney, who’d drive a billy goat if there was a race for the horned creatures.

Despite having to start from the eight hole, Whitney sent Lookin Ata Sadie to the lead and gained command before the quarter pole. From there it was catch me if you can and, you guessed it, nobody could and Whitney and the 4-year-old Sadies Dreamboat mare, owned by Russell Baldwin and Daniel Alt, toured the famed oval in 1:59.

And another of the Billings Boys in that contest, midwest region point leader Steve Oldford, who also started on the outside from post position seven, was second best in the race despite plenty of road trouble along the way. His pacer, JT Stena, owned locally by Dean Fraker, had to circle three-deep in the final three-eighths of the contest to rally and get the place money.

Third place in the contest was The Fonz, driven by Bill Abdelnour, the representative from New England.

— John Manzi