Hall of Famers John Campbell and Bob McIntosh clicked in the $143,640 second heat of the Jugette with L A Delight on Wednesday, September 21 at Ohio’s Delaware County Fair. The daughter of Bettors Delight hauled down Call Me Queen Be, who had paced to a world record performance earlier in the afternoon.
L A Delight is a homebred of Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. (of Windsor, Ont.), the CSX Stables (Liberty Center, Ohio), and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. (Leamington, Ont.). Campbell had steered L A Delight just once prior to Jugette Day. ‘Mr. Harness Racing’ sat behind her in the Jugette’s opening heat and had finished second to Call Me Queen Be in her 1:50.1 world record mile.
Courtesy of her sizzling win in the opening heat, Call Me Queen Be (driven by Scott Zeron) started from Post 1 in the second heat. Campbell and L A Delight started right alongside them in Post 2.
The pair of horses sat ‘one-two’ throughout the course of the mile. Zeron shot off the wings of the starting gate with Call Me Queen Be and was first down to the opening quarter in :27.1. Campbell and his millionaire mount were drafting right behind, and did so until the showdown began.
The middle fractions were cut in :56.2 and 1:25. There wasn’t too much movement behind Call Me Queen Be and L A Delight. Pure Country (Brett Miller) had a good view of the action in third, while Yankee Moonshine and Yannick Gingras were a tad back in fourth.
Campbell made his move in the final quarter. At the age of 61, the sport’s most decorated reinsman timed his move perfectly. Campbell tipped off the final turn right before the head of the stretch and L A Delight appeared to have a lot of pace in reserve. L A Delight dug in and slowly but surely made up ground with every stride. She wore down Call Me Queen Be, as the latter's star reinsman, Zeron, 27, did all he could to hold off the rush of the pocket rocket.
L A Delight ($8.20) passed Call Me Queen Be in the final sixteenth and went on to hit the wire first. The reserved Campbell showed a little emotion on the occasion, as he gave a slight fist pump and clearly felt the emotion of the moment.
“It’s pretty exciting to win a race here, especially with the magnitude of the Jugette,” Campbell said afterward, during a brief winner’s circle interview with announcer Roger Huston.
Yankee Moonshine and Yannick Gingras rounded out the top three.
The win with L A Delight was Campbell’s record fifth Jugette victory and his 155th overall at the Delaware County Fair. Meanwhile, McIntosh tied Billy Haughton with his third victory in the Jugette.
“She’s (L A Delight) never really raced a bad race,” McIntosh told Huston. “She’s pretty much the best filly that I’ve had that has made a million dollars. She’s a professional.”
McIntosh stated that L A Delight will now move on to an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event, followed by her OSS Super Final and then the Breeders Crown.
WORLD RECORD FOR CALL ME QUEEN BE IN JUGETTE OPENING HEAT
Call Me Queen Be knocked off some of the top pacing fillies in her last start, and duplicated that success with a world record performance in the first heat of the 2016 Jugette.
Leaving from Post 5, Scott Zeron hustled Call Me Queen Be out like a rocket and cleared to the front over rail horse Yankee Moonshine (Yannick Gingras). Favoured Pure Country (Brett Miller) followed that one out from the second tier while Darlinonthebeach (David Miller) floated first-over on the outside.
The opening quarter was reached in :26.4, and shortly thereafter Miller pulled Pure Country off the wood to stalk the leader. That move towed Darlinonthebeach into second-over position through a :55 half.
As the field hit the backstretch, Call Me Queen Be stayed strong on the lead and looked fresh through a 1:23 third panel. Miller started to ask Pure Country for more as Call Me Queen Be started to make daylight on the rest of the fillies.
At the head of the lane, Zeron and Call Me Queen Be were all alone and tripped the timer open lengths the best in a world record 1:50.1. L A Delight (John Campbell) closed well to best Pure Country for the runner-up spot and survived a judges' inquiry as the Ontario Sires Stakes starlet was rough as she crossed under the wire.
Call Me Queen Be (Somebeachsomewhere - Pretty Party Girl) boasts five wins in 14 starts on the season for trainer Ross Croghan and owners Let It Ride Stables and Dana Parham of Florida. In her last six starts she's only finished worse than second once, and trainer Croghan noted that the break wasn't the horse's fault.
"She was a victim of circumstance; the race bike was the wrong one, she touched a wheel, got mad and made a break," noted Croghan. "I didn't think she'd do it again and luckily she hasn't."
Croghan stated that he likes his chances heading into in the second heat.
"She was so good today compared to the others, winning so easy and drawing the rail and she gets off the wings so fast."
As Scott Zeron left the winner's circle fairly quickly with the filly due to her temperament, Croghan confessed that she can be a handful but has matured over the season.
"On race day she can be a little stupid but, believe it or not, through the summer with all the travelling she's done and everything she's actually got quite smart. We're quite proud of her."
Connections for Darlinonthebeach and Marty Party Two scratched their horses from the second heat. The field in post order for the $143,640 Jugette Final is as follows.
1. Call Me Queen Be – Scott Zeron
2. L A Delight – John Campbell
3. Pure Country – Brett Miller
4. Yankee Moonshine – Yannick Gingras
5. Hug A Dragoness – Matt Kakaley
6. Blue Moon Stride – Andrew McCarthy
Trot Insider is covering the races as they happen, so please check back with this story throughout the card.
MISS TEZSLA CONVINCING IN THE BUCKETTE
Miss Tezsla ($3.20) sustained her first-over grind in the $86,200 Buckette for three-year-old trotting fillies (Race 13) and went on to post a 1:55.1 victory for driver Brett Miller and trainer Jimmy Takter.
The daughter of Andover Hall left from Post 2, but Miller opted to settle the bay into fourth in the early going. Naughty III and driver Peter Wrenn were on the engine from Post 1 and carved the opening fractions in :28.3 and :58.3.
It was late in the tepid second quarter when Miller opted to tip his mount out for a shot at the leader. From that point onward, Miss Tezsla engaged Naughty III and the duo raced virtually side by side, past the 1:26.4 three-quarters pole and into the stretch.
It was in the stretch where Miss Tezsla prevailed, as she was able to put Naughty III away and hit the wire a convincing winner.
In the post-race interview, Takter stated that Miller had his charge well in hand.
“He (Miller) sat outside and knew that he had everything under control,” Takter said.
“She raced a great race. She just keeps getting better and better. She’s very tough.”
Naughty III held on for second, while Ultimate Shopper (Time Tetrick) finished third.
Miss Tezsla has now won eight of her 21 career races and has banked roughly $300,000 in career purses.
WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN FOR ELLA CHRISTINA IN THE STANDARDBRED
Her foes were in prime position to pounce, but Ella Christina ($5.00) held them all at bay in the $49,200 Standardbred for two-year-old pacing fillies, as she held off the outer flow and paced to a life’s best 1:54.3 win for driver David Miller and trainer Nancy Johansson.
Miller and the bay daughter of Western Ideal started from Post 5 in the nine-horse field. The duo had a brief fight for the engine, but cleared relatively easily before the :27.4 quarter pole. When all was said and done, Ella Christina paced to a gate to wire win, but the proceedings were not a cake walk.
Miller and his charge did not have too work too hard to cut the middle panels (:57.4 and 1:26.1), but a good portion of the field was right there waiting to pounce if Ella Christina slipped up, which she did not. The field raced with a tight overland tier, but Miller and his mount were on their business for Johansson, who also owns the filly.
“She raced great. She fits this track really well… we held in there,” Miller said in a quick post-race interview.
Caviart Cherie (Andrew McCarthy) had left from Post 1 and secured a pocket ride through the fractions. She was ready to pounce in the lane, but had no racing room and ultimately finished second. Kims Desire (Yannick Gingras) had raced second-over for much of the race and was able to close to finish third.
Ella Christina has now won two of her seven career starts and has only missed the board twice.
FIVE OHIO BREEDERS CHAMPIONSHIPS CONTESTED
The Ohio Breeders Championships kicked off in Race 3, which saw Uncle Leroy ($7.80) record his second win of the 2016 Ohio Fair, which came in the $32,100 OBC division for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings. After having started from Post 3, Mike Wilder utilized a quarter pole move and didn’t trail from there on out. Wilder was able to keep his foes at bay and hit the wire in 1:55.3, which was a new lifetime mark for the son of Neely Dunn. Charles Vigneron trains Uncle Leroy for Cheryl Vigneron.
The OBCs continued in Race 5, as Wegoferdaprize ($5.60) benefited from a pair of breakers to his inside and was able to get up for a 1:56.2 win during the $32,100 split for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Wegoferdaprize and driver Chris Page had grinded first-up for the back half of the mile and hit pay dirt when leader MJB Got Faith broke stride in deep stretch. Jessica Millner trains Wegoferdaprize, an And Away We Go gelding, for Curran Racing LLC.
Driver Dan Noble allowed Lets Go Bucks ($6.80) to unleash his move during the third quarter of the $32,100 OBC division for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings (Race 6) and the gelded son of And Away We Go flew to an impressive 1:54.4 win for trainer Jim Dailey. Lets Go Bucks is owned by Jim Burnett and Tim Homan of Ohio.
Two-year-old trotting fillies clashed in their $57,220 OBC division (Race 8) and it was Lets Get Started ($2.40) who kicked in during the late stages of her first-over grind to hit the wire first in 1:57.4. The time is a new stakes record for the division. The black Dejarmbro filly was guided by Josh Sutton for trainer Bobby Brower and owners Richard and Joyce McClelland. Lets Get Started was overland in second through a soft middle half (:59.3). Lets Get Started has now won six of her seven career races and has never finished worse than second.
The final OBC division of the afternoon went forth as Race 10, and nine two-year-old trotting fillies slugged it out for a $57,220 purse. Although she was hampered with a tough starting spot (Post 8), Triumphant Caviar Chim Swift ($11.00) had the most in the lane, as she darted away from her foes in a closing final quarter and nailed the wire in 1:58. Chim Swift had laid off the leaders early, but raced wide through the lane to seal the deal for pilot David Miller. The filly has now won three of her seven starts for trainer Chris Beaver, who co-owns along with Wilbur Lang.
UNDERCARD
David Miller got things rolling in Race 1, which was the $13,600 opening division of the Ohio Fair Racing Conference Stakes for two-year-old colt and gelding pacers. ‘The Buckeye’ sent Indian Fever gelding Dancin Fever ($2.10) down the road from Post 1 and recorded an open-length victory in 1:54.1 for co-owning trainer William Webb..... Mystical Treasure ($4.60) captured Race 2, an overnight, for trainer Jim Dailey. Driver Dan Noble bested two foes at the wire and got his Real Desire mare to the wire first in 1:51.2..... OFRC Stakes action continued in Race 4, as Mannys Too Special ($2.20) delivered on his 1-9 pari-mutuel promise and paced to a life’s best 1:56 win in wire-to-wire fashion. The two-year-old son of Woodstock was driven by Dan Noble for co-owning trainer Joe Paver..... Four horses had legitimate shots of capturing Race 7, a division of the OFRC for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, and it was an early breaker, Lovely Feelin ($21.20), that rebounded impressively to get the job done in a life’s best 1:57. The win was the fourth of the program for driver Dan Noble, who steered the Feelin Friskie colt three-wide through the lane to get up for the tight win. Lovely Feelin is trained by co-owner Bret Schwartz..... Freshman K T War Bates ($7.20) and driver Kurt Sugg went gate to wire in their OFRC division for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, as the son of Stand Forever zipped to a life’s best 1:55.4 for trainer Tyler Bates..... Battle Mage ($3.20) was a strong gate-to-wire winner in Race 14 for driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and trainer Charles Stillings, as the four-year-old Kadabra mare got it done from Post 5 and was much the best.