Jugette Day Hosts Top Pacing Fillies, Offers Cash For Division Hopefuls

The penultimate program of the Delaware, Ohio “Jug” meet is Wednesday, Sept. 21, known as Jugette Day. The glamour-girl pacers meet in their version of the Jug and this time, a filly who has tampered with the glamour-boy division enters the Jugette to take on the best in her division.

Pure Country has been made the 5-2 morning line (ML) favorite for the $239,400 Jugette and will face her strongest competitor, Darlinonthebeach. Pure Country, who failed against the boys in the Cane Pace, finishing on the purse grid, fourth, and who was second in the Carl Milstein Memorial against the opposite sex, gets the second-tier post 9 in the mile race, the first of two heats.

The first heat goes for $95,760 and the second heat offers $143,640. The entire field is eligible to return for heat two. The winner of the second heat is the Jugette champion.

Darlinonthebeach, the second ML choice, leaves from the outside post 7, and will have to expend some energy to place herself where most entries want to race at this half-mile—the front.

The third ML choice is Call Me Queen B. She leaves from post 5 off of her win in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Final where she defeated both the top-two favorites.

A strong outsider, leaving from the dreaded post 8 (which will offer big odds) is Blue Moon Stride. She will have to pick up some pieces if there is dueling with fiery fractions and if she doesn’t burn out early she has a better chance than her odds.

So does I Said Diamonds, leaving from post 6. She has been a productive earner in this competitive division and deserves respect. The ML for those two outside contenders is 12-1 and either, no less both, could add to exotic prices if neither upsets.

The first heat performances will be the most important, since the first-elim winner will go to post in the final a favorite. So, we will go with Blue Moon Stride to upset in round one and if she doesn’t win and draws better racing in round two (a scratch or two could give her a better post and shot in the final (better odds if she loses the first, of course).  

DROP IN THE BUCKETTE

Soph-filly trotters meet for an $86,200 prize in the Buckette. The field of 10, however, does not include the crème de la crème of this season’s division.

We have been watching for Unica Steed to return, though we thought in a lesser event, but she draws into this field after a brief hiatus, no doubt a Takter tactic.

She is not Takter’s best filly here; that would be Miss Tezsla, but given the time off and the fact she was teetering on the brink of a big mile, Unica Steed looks to be Takter’s best chance of the two to get the biggest share of the .$86,000 purse.

There will be action on the 8 horse, Goodtogo Hanover, because she decides to face this soft field having won nine of 11 this season and accumulating six-digit earnings in the process.

The crowd could also support Ake Svanstedt’s Heal The World, just out of respect for some class, and Naughty Iii from the rail will find some backers.

A well-spread wad of wagering, then, will accompany all of the opinions available to make cases for those we mentioned.

What we support is, as written, Unica Steed, along with an exacta partner, Witnesstheprincess, Christopher Beaver’s gal leaving from second-tier’s post 10. She has a sharp record across the board and in the earning’s column and could even swipe the win with the right conditions.

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Follow major Breeders Crown hopefuls on their road to the championship series at the Meadowlands at the Breeders Crown Countdown blog and the TwinSpires harness blog weekly, with archived reports on the results at the Hambletonian Society web site.