Western Hanover Line 1st and 2nd in Jug; PEI's Shadow Play wins on leather shoe in final

Little Brown Jug 2008: 6 length victory for Shadow Play, by The Panderosa

The 2008 harness racing stakes calendar just gets better for standardbred horse fans from the Canadian Maritimes. Firstly, Somebeachsomewhere, known as "The Beach" Down East, may have Nova Scotia ownership and connections, but Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick also claim the indefatigable and ultra-fluid Beach as loved kin. Beach has been other-worldly in his sophomore campaign, his only 2nd place finish coming with a race-timed 3 year-old world-record 1.47 mile.

So none of us expected Shadow Play to come along and make things so interesting. Not only does this brilliant colt have PEI owners, but legendary hockey player and executive Serge Savard is also among the ownership group, making Shadow a natural bet for Habs fans. In the first heat of the Little Brown Jug 2008, Shadow Play used Badlands Nitro as a windbreaker for over 3/4 of a mile, then edged past him in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths in a sizzling stakes record of 1.50.

Badlands was scratched sick from the final, and each of Art Official (3rd, by Art Major) and Lonestar Legend (2nd, by Western Hanover) came up to challenge Shadow Play, but he turned them away like a champion, pacing home in 26.2 to win by an impressive 6 1/4 lengths in 1.50.1.


Canadian-owned pacing Shadow Play wins 2008 Little Brown Jug

Shadow Play wins 63rd Jug in straight heats; LittleBrownJug.com


Somebeachsomewhere, Shadow Play and Art Official are all scheduled to meet up for the Bluegrass Stakes in Kentucky on September 27, though they may not draw the same division.