It wasn’t a very pleasant day to be in Delaware, Ohio yesterday. That’s too bad because the show on the track in the Jug was thrilling.
Well Said reminds me in many ways of his sire Western Hanover and it’s been 17 years since Western Hanover was denied the Jug by Fake Left by a whisker in the raceoff. Redemption came for the late Western Hanover in this year’s Jug.
Much was made of the fact that If I Can Dream won his elimination from post 10 and Well Said won his elimination from post eight. That silenced a lot of people who said you can’t win from the second tier or from an outside post in the Jug.
Of course, you gotta have a good horse to win from those spots and that’s what Tim Tetrick and Ron Pierce had in If I Can Dream and Well Said.
The first elimination won by If I Can Dream had an incredibly dramatic finish with four horses across the track at the wire and If I Can Dream winning it out wide.
Pre-race favorite Mr Wiggles tried to sneak through at the rail, and was set back from third to fourth, but trainer George Teague was livid in post-race interviews at the steer that Corey Callahan gave Mr Wigges. Teague, usually a gentleman and quite articulate, let his emotions show in his dissatisfaction with his driver.
I’m sure that George felt that if have the favorite in a Jug heat, you don’t risk getting trapped and that’s what happened to Mr Wiggles. Looking back on the race, I’m sure Corey Callahan would have wished he’d pulled on the right line coming to the half-miler marker, but that’s history now.
Vintage Master was favored over Well Said in the second elimination and I think that everyone was surprised when neither one tried to leave for the lead. Vintage Master tucked in fourth and when Ron Pierce put Well Said on Dan Dube’s back, Stevie Wonder could have seen what was going to transpire.
It stood to reason that when Dube moved Vintage Master, Pierce and Well Said would follow his helmet. And that’s what happened. Well Said has incredible quick speed and he kicked clear of Vintage Master easily and won in a jog.
Before the final heat, Tim Tetrick said that he wanted to control the race with If I Can Dream and have Well Said chasing him. Tetrick got his wish at the start of the race, but it didn’t quite end the way he wanted. Once again Well Said fired up the afterburners and ran down the pacesetter in the stretch.
There wasn’t any sunshine yesterday in Delaware, but the glow of Well Said’s greatness was enough to light up the fairgrounds in the gathering darkness after the final heat. Trainer Steve Elliott obviously had the colt prepped properly and Pierce drove him with confidence bordering on cockiness. And the little colt with the acceleration of a sports car took care of business.
We’ll see Well Said again in action in the Tattersalls Pace at The Red Mile.