DELAWARE — It had been a long, long time since Jody Jamieson last won the Little Brown Jug. On Thursday, Redland Rocket Man brought him back to the winner’s circle.
Jamieson drove the three-year-old gelding to victory in the $550,000 final at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, finishing the mile in 1:49.4. Melillo was second, 4¼ lengths behind, followed by Al Papi and Fragment, according to the official USTA results.
Jamieson’s previous Jug victory came 19 years ago, in 2007, with Tell All. Before Thursday’s race, the Canadian driver told Delaware Source what another win would mean to him.
“I have a notch on my belt buckle for this one, but to come back almost 20 years later and win it again, it’d be really cool,” Jamieson said.
Redland Rocket Man was a late addition to the field. His connections paid $45,000 to make him eligible for the Jug after a Sept. 12 victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 1:46.4 made him the fastest three-year-old pacer in North America this season.
In his five-horse elimination race, Redland Rocket Man was still last halfway through the mile. He moved to third by the three-quarter mark, then took the lead and won by 4¾ lengths in 1:50.2, according to the official USTA results.
In the other elimination, Al Papi and driver Yannick Gingras led throughout and won in 1:51.1, finishing 1½ lengths ahead of stablemate Frantic Hanover. Both horses are trained by Ron Burke.
Redland Rocket Man’s elimination win gave him the inside starting position for the final. But Jamieson said Al Papi nearly took the lead from him as the race began.
“Leaving the gate, Yannick almost got around me and I had to dig deep,” Jamieson said.
Jamieson secured the lead around the first turn, and Redland Rocket Man stayed in front at every point recorded on the official race chart. Al Papi challenged later, drawing within a head at the three-quarter mark, but could not get past him.
“He loves the turns. He paces better in the turns,” Jamieson said.
“Through the stretch it was just so cool to be able to point to the infield with my whip and point to the outside with my whip and let them know who’s gonna win the Little Brown Jug 2026.”
Trainer and co-owner John Pentland was concerned about the start, too. But he trusted Jamieson to secure the lead.
“When Jody Jamieson is on a horse, he’s not giving you an inch,” Pentland said. “I’m not sure there’s a better driver I could have taken down here to win this horse race than Jody.”
For Pentland, winning a Grade 1 race has long been a goal.
“You know I’ve knocked on the door, I’ve had a good career, and I’ve raced a lot of good horses,” Pentland said. “It was always on my bucket list, I just didn’t expect it to be the Little Brown Jug. The way [Redland Rocket Man] did it today is actually special.”
Pentland said the horse’s ability to recover between races helped convince his team to enter him.
“He catches his wind in five minutes, this horse. And that’s part of the reason we came,” Pentland said. “There never seems to be a bottom for him.”
Jamieson and Pentland are both from Ontario, Canada. Pentland said people at Woodbine Mohawk Park had been cheering him on in the weeks leading up to the Jug.
“It feels like a proud moment for Canada,” he said. “I know Jody feels the same way. He’s a proud Canadian.”
Pentland co-owns Redland Rocket Man with Murray Cox and Gary Volpe, according to the official USTA results. The Little Brown Jug reported that the horse earned $300,000 from Thursday’s races, bringing his career earnings to $677,020.
Jamieson said the win felt different from his victory in 2007. He recalled feeling nervous throughout that race and relieved when he won.
This time, he felt confident in Redland Rocket Man, though he was still nervous between the two heats.
“I didn’t need to be nervous. I had the best horse and the best starting post, there was no need to be nervous,” he said. “At least that’s what I told myself.”
The opportunity to drive Redland Rocket Man mattered to him, too.
“This is a business but it’s also a sport,” he said. “I feel like I can drive with anybody in the sport, but I haven’t been getting those opportunities a lot lately.
“It just means a lot to me that at this age, at this point in my career, that I can get a call on a horse like this and make those partners proud of me that I got the job done.”
Photos by Taylor Henninger and Izzy MacLellan.
