Big Bad John held off Roll With Joe down the stretch in the third and final heat Thursday to win the Little Brown Jug, the second leg of pacing's Triple Crown.
Driven by David Miller and trained by Ron Potter, Big Bad John was timed in 1:50.0 for the mile and became the first Ohio-trained horse to win the race at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, where Potter is stabled.
''I really thought he would be better in the second heat than the first,'' Potter said. ''I told Dave I thought he would be really good in the second heat and he would be ready to roll. I was ready right after the first race to just go ahead and get it over with.''
It was the third Little Brown Jug win for Miller, an Ohio native. Big Bad John is owned by Winchester Baye Acres Inc. of Ocala, Fla.
''I never thought there would be that much speed in the first turn,'' Miller said. ''My horse got the job done and I was very confident at the three-quarters. This is always such a thrill to win this race. Most of all I'm so happy for the connections that are a part of this horse.''
BetterThanChedddar, who won the Cane Pace - the opening leg of the Triple Crown - was third.
Big Bad John won the first heat in 1:50.2 a time matched by Roll With Joe in winning the second heat.
''I thought I could get him in the stretch,'' said Ron Pierce, the driver of Roll With Joe. ''I sat in second as long as I could. When I pulled, I thought my horse was going to get him. But Dave's horse got a few steps of breather and I could not get around him. I worried with only 12 horses but I thought we put on quite a show.''
Big Bad John has won nine races in 12 starts this year with earnings of over $600,000.
The final leg of the Triple Crown is the Messenger Stakes at Yonkers Raceway on Nov. 12.
