Jug is Brent McGrath’s Decision
The following originally appeared on Harnesslink.
Brent McGrath trains and is part owner of Somebeachsomewhere- who is NOT going to the 2008 Little Brown Jug. Correct me if I’m wrong- this is HIS decision, right? He has a one horse barn-and long ago mapped out a schedule for his horse, one which you should only be able to dream off when you plunk down $40,000 at a yearling sale.
So far, this colt has been THE story in the pacing world for over a year now. Why exactly does Brent McGrath have to explain any of this to anyone-anyway? Since when is it against the law to pass on a race? For starters, he (Somebeachsomewhere) wasn’t in the Cane Pace at Freehold September 1, so it’s not like the Triple Crown was at stake. The Triple Crown of harness racing in no way resembles the thoroughbred one, so that can’t be it. Is McGrath somehow bucking tradition by NOT going to the Jug? Says who? Is there an unwritten law that says the Jug is like passing “GO”o-no Jug-NO $200?
The naysayers now have to find some more ammo.
The first thing they said was that he (SBSW) couldn’t handle heats. He goes out and dominates the Confederation Cup-in HEATS. Then they said he wasn’t at his best on the half mile track - he wins in 1:49.2-by FAR a new world record for a 3 Year old on the 4 turns. Next? Paul MacDonnell told me matter-of-factly last week that they were going to Lexington for the last two weeks there-then on to the Messenger. That is three potential matchups with Art Official.
Does the game want to see these two out there together?-Sure. But remember-this schedule by McGrath was announced early in the season-and he’s sticking to his guns. Maybe-just maybe-when the connections of a great horse talk about NOT going to a race - it’s the RACE that should be closer looked at - and not the person (s) making the statement.
Did you know that the Little Brown Jug goes for LESS MONEY than the Confederation Cup? Heat racing is going the way of the modified sulky. Brent has said he does NOT want to go three heats-at least potentially-that day. This is the modern day version of Steve Lobell-1976 Hambo-whose four heats were so taxing that day they were outlawed. It’s been a dozen years now since the Hambo raced heats on the same day.
We buy/breed for speed, not for speed AND endurance, as once was the case. But even with that said, he just came off a world record-on a HALF MILER-in heats. So squash the argument about the smaller track and going more than once on the same day.
He can’t be ducking Art Official-McGrath announced he was not Jug-bound while Art Official was OFF THE BOARD in the Berrys Creek! Let’s take a closer look at the Jug.
Brett Pelling said that Rocknroll Hanover raced “his eyeballs out” in 2005 in the Jug (3rd) that day. That day-Jug Day-that track-the luck of the draw - the reliance on the racing gods, all play into who wins. Do you remember who won that day? P Forty Seven-who-by the way - NEVER WON ANOTHER RACE!!!! and he raced at 4 too! Million Dollar Cam’s LAST win came in the Jug. Nicks Fantasy was never heard from again after his Jug of 1995. Gallo Blue Chip lost to Astreos in 2000 in the Jug simply because Astreos drew inside of him for the final.
No race-no TRIPLE CROWN race-should ever be decided by a pill draw. Ever.
This year-Art Major’s son Art Official looms the horse to beat in the Jug-after supplementing with a Cane Pace score-1:51.1-at Freehold.
Anyone remember where Art Major finished in the Jug? Neither do I-why? Because his race was over before it began-drawing in Oshkosh and having no chance. It was RIGHT in the middle of a 3 month stampede for the ages-Art Major entered August 2002 with 70g on his card and wound up well over $1.5 million for the year-#1 among all pacers. No thanks to the Jug though, the pill draw saw to that.
Only twice has a 3 Year Old been voted HORSE OF THE YEAR and NOT participated in the Little Brown Jug-Cam Fella was not eligible in 1982 (No supplements then even though he beat Merger twice in the Cane) and Cams Card Shark came up lame on Jug Day 1994 BEFORE the races and retired.
Brent McGrath might very well be thumbing his nose at tradition-and year end honors. But that is HIS CALL-not anyone elses.
In 2004 Trond Smedshammer told me the night of the Kentucky Futurity, when he just won the Triple Crown-that he was not racing Windsongs Legacy again-that he had nothing left to prove. Was I surprised? Sure. But what he said DID make sense, and he passed on the Breeders Crown-won by a 39-1 shot named Yankee Slide. The idiocy that followed after this was mind-boggling-Trond was ducking Cantab Hall, Trond was afraid of this and that.
Windsongs Legacy entered 6 finals that year-and won EVERY ONE of them!
You want to tell me who he was ducking while batting 1.000? In conclusion, the Jug is not on the menu for Somebeachsomehwere.
It figures to be a great race with Shadow Play and several others - Badlands Nitro among them-trying to keep Art Official from his second leg of the Triple Crown and maybe a deja vu type season to Blissful Hall-1999.
Enjoy the race, stop wondering what coulda been, respect the mans management decision and reserve any judgement for year end honors on what happens ON THE TRACK-not a decision or two here or there off of it.
