by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — One More Laugh will begin his quest to add the second jewel of the Pacing Triple Crown, the Little Brown Jug, from the most outside post in his first-heat elimination, but his connections will not need to look far back in history for inspiration. Last year, Well Said won his first heat from post eight on his way to capturing the Jug.

The $604,100 Little Brown Jug is Thursday afternoon at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio. One More Laugh enters the race having won the first jewel in the Triple Crown, the Cane Pace, on September 6 at Freehold Raceway. He will compete in the third of three first-heat eliminations, starting from post seven in the seven-horse field at the fairground’s half-mile track. He is the 2-1 morning line favorite in his elimination race.

Outside posts are a disadvantage on any size racetrack, but even more on a half-mile oval because the start is so near the first turn. Since 1981 at the Jug, there have been five horses to win elimination heats from post seven (from 74 starters) and two from post eight (from 52 starters).

Lisa photo

One More Laugh overcame post eight to win the Meadowlands Pace by a head over Rock N Roll Heaven.

“Well Said won from out of the eight hole, so it’s definitely possible,” One More Laugh’s driver Tim Tetrick said about overcoming the outside post. “All along I’ve said he’s a good horse, and he is. I’ve got a lot of faith in him. I think if he can win the first (heat), he’s got a great shot to win the second one. I don’t think the heats will hurt him. I think he’ll be fine with it. He’s tough, he’s strong. He’s come out of every race good.”

One More Laugh has won five of 11 races and finished second four times while earning $1.07 million this year for trainer Ray Schnittker, who owns the gelding with breeder Mathias Meinzinger and Jerry Silva. In addition to winning the Cane Pace, One More Laugh won the $1 million Meadowlands Pace in July at the Meadowlands and the Art Rooney Pace in June at Yonkers.

His victory in the Cane Pace came in stakes- and track-records of 1:50.3 and improved his record to 2-for-2 on half-mile tracks this season. With a win in the Jug, One More Laugh could join Well Said in more than just winning from outside posts. Well Said is the only horse in the last 19 years to win both the Meadowlands Pace and Jug.

Furthermore, if One More Laugh wins the Jug, Schnittker will join a dozen other trainers to have victories in both the Hambletonian, harness racing’s premier trotting race, and Jug on their resumes. Nine of them are in the Harness Racing Hall of Fame and the remaining three — Jimmy Takter, Steve Elliott and Blair Burgess — accomplished the feat within the last four years.

Nonetheless, Schnittker was not thrilled with the draw for the Jug.

“You don’t come out to Delaware to race from the outside post,” he said. “If he races and wins his elimination, we’ll go two heats, but we won’t go three heats.”

Rockin Image, who will start from post six, is the 7-2 second choice in One More Laugh’s elimination. Rockin Image was second in the Cane Pace and won a division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes in August at the Meadowlands.

“I think Rockin Image is good for me,” Tetrick said. “I don’t think he’ll leave. If he does, it will be better for me because there will be plenty of pace. If he doesn’t, I have the option of following him because he will get you into the race. That part is very good.

“At least he didn’t get in with Rock N Roll Heaven and some of those others, but it’s still tough enough. There are some good horses in (One More Laugh’s elimination). It’s not going to be easy for him.”