Little Brown Jug (horse race) facts for kids

The Little Brown Jug is a very important horse race held every year in Delaware, Ohio. It's for special three-year-old horses called Standardbreds that are known for their unique "pacing" gait. These horses move both legs on one side of their body forward at the same time. The race has been happening since 1946 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds racetrack. You can watch it every year on the third Thursday after Labor Day.

The Little Brown Jug is one of the two most famous races for Standardbred horses. The other big race is the Hambletonian, which is for "trotters." Trotters move their legs in diagonal pairs. The race is named after a famous pacer horse named Little Brown Jug. He won nine races in a row and became a legend in 1975. There's also a similar race called the Jugette for three-year-old female horses, called fillies.

History of the Little Brown Jug

The idea for the Little Brown Jug started in 1937. Members of the Delaware County Agricultural Society decided to move their County Fair to Delaware, Ohio. Two years later, a half-mile racetrack was built for harness racing. A local builder, R.K. McNamara, designed this fast track.

A lawyer named Joe Neville and a sports editor, Henry C. "Hank" Thomson, helped make the race happen. Joe Neville wanted to highlight pacing horses, especially the three-year-olds. They formed the Little Brown Jug Society to organize the big race event. The name "Little Brown Jug" was chosen through a newspaper contest.

The first official Little Brown Jug race was in 1946. The prize money was $35,358. A horse named Ensign Hanover won, with Wayne "Curly" Smart as the driver. Smart later became the track superintendent, helping to keep the track super fast.

Over the years, the Little Brown Jug became a very traditional and important race for pacers. In 1956, it became part of the Triple Crown of Pacing. This special series also includes the Cane Pace and the Messenger Stakes. In 2023, the total prize money for the race reached $1,000,000 for the first time.

How the Race Works

The Little Brown Jug is run in several parts, called heats. Before 2017, a horse had to win two heats to be the champion. The first heat was split into smaller races. The best horses from these smaller races would then compete in a second heat. If no horse won both heats, there would be a final "race off" to decide the winner.

Since 2017, the race structure changed a bit. The first heat is still split into divisions, usually two or three. The top horses from these divisions still move on to the second heat. However, now, the horse that wins the second heat is automatically the champion of the Little Brown Jug. It doesn't matter if they won a division in the first heat.

Since 1946, the winners of the Little Brown Jug have their names written on a special jug. In 2005, they ran out of space on the first jug. So, they made a new one. The new jug is made of plastic, which makes it lighter than the old clay one.

Records

Most wins by a driver

• 5 – Billy Haughton (1955, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1974)
• 5 – Michel Lachance (1988, 1989, 1994, 1997, 2001)
• 5 – David Miller (2003, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2018)

Most wins by a trainer

• 6 – Billy Haughton (1955, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1985)

Stakes record

• 1:49 0/0 – Betting Line (2016), It's My Show (2023)

Little Brown Jug winners