In the 66th renewal of the Little Brown Jug, Columbus, Ohio, native David Miller won the 2011 edition with Big Bad John September 22 in Delaware, Ohio for Ohio connections. That came after Miller had nailed down a whisker-thin Jugette victory the day before as Idyllic gave him the front-end of a rare sweep of the two major pacing events for three-year-old colts and fillies.
Miller matched Billy Haughton (1974) as the only other sulky jock to win the Jug and the Jugette in the same year.
Happy Anniversary, Warriners
Idyllic presented West Wins Stable owners Marj and Ross Warriner the perfect 50th wedding anniversary gift, winning the prestigious Jugette September 21 by a neck over Rocklamation in 1:54 flat, and claiming the race's $292,350 purse.
Idyllic paced her elimination heat in 1:53.1, winning by a convincing 10-1/4 lengths.
The Warriners also own Betterthancheddar, this season's Cane Pace victor, who went third in the Jug Final Heat.
Big Bad John Shows Up Good
Delaware-based trainer Ron Potter also had Columbus native Miller in the sulky in the $526,800 Jug for owner Ed Telle of Winchester Baye Acres, who hails from Powell, Ohio, just a corn row away from Delaware.
Big Bad John's Little Brown Jug victory for all-Ohio connections became the third winner in history to create a Buckeye State sweep at pacing's main event. Best Of All (1967) and No Pan Intended (2003) also took the Jug trophy for Ohioans.
Miller said Big Bad John "had hold of me from start to finish" and that it is "just special to win this race", in interviews for The Horseman and Fair World magazine article by Gordon Waterstone titled "Hometown Advantage!" published September 28, 2011.
As a two-year-old, Big Bad John had paced to the equal of a world record for his class on a half-mile track. Potter admitted that his hometown advantage gave him valuable clues as to how he wanted to send Big Bad John over the two-curve, half-mile track at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
"He knows his way around this track..." he told interviewers before the Final Heat victory.
Big Bad John's Racing Record
Big Bad John, bred from Western Hanover--Trulyawork Of Art, by Artsplace, claimed his ninth win from 12 starts this season, with career earnings of $925,809.
The bay colt rolled to victory over Roll With Joe with a length to spare in the Final Heat, after qualifying in the first elimination with a three-quarters win over Something For Doc.
Also qualifying from the first elim were High Noon, who paced third, and Foreclosure, the fourth place closer.
Completing the Final Heat field by winning the second elim were Roll With Joe; second place finisher Betterthancheddar; Rollwithitharry, who went third; and Up The Credit, the fourth place qualifier.
Trainer Casie Coleman Doubles
Idyllic's score came in a rainfall that opened up as the pacers left the gate, but the game filly was undeterred. The offspring of American Ideal overcame severe illness earlier in the year to shine for the Warriners on Jugette day.
She boosted her 2011 totals to five wins from 12 starts, with three seconds and four thirds. She has lighted up the board on each of her career 21 posts.
Trainer Casie Coleman, who triumphed in the 2010 Jugette with Western Silk, also handles Idyllic.
BarbaraAnne Helberg - Barbara Anne Helberg, Supporter of Better Lives for Animals and Clean, Spirited, Competitive Sports
