Look At Pedigrees To Bet At Little Brown Jug

Race Programs Give Sires Dams Race Records Earnings Recent Rivals

Sep 26, 2008 BarbaraAnne Helberg

Past winners at the Little Brown Jug, the second race of pacing's Triple Crown series, reveal the pedigrees of current competitors. Race programs reveal the best bets.

Ohio annually hosts the Little Brown Jug, harness racing's famed second jewel of the Triple Crown of pacing. A comprehensive look at a horse's background of race records, earnings, and recent rivals, as well as his pedigree is a good way to evaluate betting favorites at the harness racing track.

What To Look For To Make Good Bets

A race program, at any track, is an essential tool for bettors. The program gives a brief and very important resume for every horse who will step on the track. It reports on each participant's last (at least) six races, number of starts by year and career, number of wins, places, and shows, yearly and career earnings, color, type, age, connections, and driver.

Most importantly, the race program reveals pedigree. Looking at pedigrees and progeny is a bettor's best bet. Good horses will win nearly one third of their starts. Great horses have higher winning percentages. Most horses are average.

Pedigrees that show up repeatedly in programs make good horses stand out like a big, puffy sore thumb. Locating the pedigreed ponies, then looking at their records are betting steps one and two. Some horses of excellent pedigree will be doing better than others in the same bloodline. Betting is a process of elimination, not a science.

Past Jug Winners Show Repeated Pedigrees:

Ensign Hanover started it all at the Little Brown Jug in 1946. A Hanover pedigree appears in the total winners list many times over. Adios and Armbro progeny also repeat frequently.

(1946) - Ensign Hanover ----- (1947) - Forbes Chief ----- (1948) - Knight Dream ----- (1949) - Good Time ----- (1950) - Dudley Hanover ----- (1951) - Tar Heel ----- (1952) - Meadow Rice ----- (1953) - Keystoner ----- (1954) - Adios Harry ----- (1955) - Quick Chief ----- (1956) - Noble Adios ----- (1957) - Torpid ----- (1958) - Shadow Wave ----- (1959) - Adios Butler ----- (1960) - Bullet Hanover ----- (1961) - Henry T. Adios ----- (1962) - Lehigh Hanover ----- (1963) - Overtrick ----- (1964) - Vicar Hanover ----- (1965) - Bret Hanover ----- (1966) - Romeo Hanover ----- (1967) - Best Of All ----- (1968) - Rum Customer ----- (1969) - Laverne Hanover ----- (1970) - Most Happy Fella ----- (1971) - Nansemond ----- (1972) - Strike Out -----(1973) - Melvin's Woe ----- (1974) - Armbro Omaha ----- (1975) - Seatrain ----- (1976) - Keystone Ore ----- (1977) - Governor Skipper ----- (1978) - Happy Escort ----- (1979) - Hot Hitter ----- (1980) - Niatross ----- (1981) - Fan Hanover ----- (1982) - Merger ----- (1983) - Ralph Hanover ----- (1984) - Colt Fortysix ----- (1985) - Nihilator ----- (1986) - Barberry Spur ----- (1987) - Jaguar Spur ----- (1988) - B J Scoot ----- (1989) - Goalie Jeff ----- (1990) - Beach Towel ----- (1991) - Precious Bunny ----- (1992) - Fake Left ----- (1993) - Life Sign ----- (1994) - Magical Mike ----- (1995) - Nick's Fantasy ----- (1996) - Armbro Operative ----- (1997) - Western Dreamer ----- (1998) - Shady Character ----- (1999) - Blissful Hall ----- (2000) - Astreos ----- (2001) - Bettor's Delight ----- (2002) - Million Dollar Cam ----- (2003) - No Pan Intended ----- (2004) - Timesareachanging ----- (2005) - P-Forty-Seven ----- (2006) - Mr. Feelgood ----- (2007) - Tell All ----- (2008) - Shadow Play

Pedigree studies are like earning a paycheck. Keep working toward it.

September 20 through 24, 2009 at Delaware

The Little Brown Jug is scheduled for September 24 in 2009, with undercard races the first four days of the week, and the Jugette on the 23rd. Programs will be readily available.

The copyright of the article Look At Pedigrees To Bet At Little Brown Jug in Horse Racing is owned by BarbaraAnne Helberg. Permission to republish Look At Pedigrees To Bet At Little Brown Jug in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.