Delaware, OH – Kevin McDermott is so pleased the questions have been answered. His top colt, Lonewolf Currier goes in the 68th annual Little Brown Jug Thursday and until his last start his horse has not been right.
“It was COPD,” McDermott explained, “Just like in humans, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; he just could not breathe right when racing.”
Starting off the 2013 season winning just about every race he was in, Lonewolf Currier suddenly could not do it anymore. His race lines would show a win then two weeks of barely finishing in the money or worse until the veterinarian’s discovered what the problem was.
“We had treated him with antibiotics and he was still no good,” McDermott explained. “Then we found out and now he is back to his normal self. What a relief. I saw in his last start that he is his old self again and that is great as we go into the Little Brown Jug.”
In his last start, the $260,000 PASS Championship Final at the Meadows, Lonewolf Currier was hopefully boxed in and was in sixth place at the top of the stretch and then found clearance late and closed with a rush to be fourth.
“If he has gotten free at any point at the top of the stretch he would have won for fun.” McDermott said. “He was full of pace and feeling good.”
Lonewolf Currier starts from post two in the 13th race first elimination division for the Little Brown Jug. He is the 4-1 third choice in the race. The race favorite at 2-1 is none other than Vegas Vacation, who is on top of his game for trainer Casie Coleman, having won three of his last four starts. He is entering the Jug off a victory in the $114,948 Simcoe Pace at Mohawk where he won in a lifetime best 1:48.
Also in that division is Jimmy Takter’s Rockin Amadeus, the 5/2 second choice in the race from post three. He is one of the few who has raced on a half mile track and in his last start he won with ease in 1:53.1.
Only the first three finishers in each of the three heats will return for the Little Brown Jug final, but McDermott feels that Lonewolf Currier will be one of them.
“When he is on his game he is great,” McDermott said. “And he is on his game now. I expect him to do really well tomorrow.”
By Steve Wolf for Harnesslink.com