Sep 22, 2022 3 min read

If anyone needed confirmation of his greatness, it came without question down the stretch of the Delaware (Ohio) County Fairgrounds early Thursday evening.

Bythemissal is the 77th Little Brown Jug champion.

The Meadows-based horse, trained by Ron Burke and owned in part by the Burke Racing Stable, Fredericktown, overcame Meadows-based Fourever Boy and driver Dexter Dunn in the stretch to win the $541,550 race in 1:51.1 in front of 42,000 fans.

In addition to the Burke Stable Bythemissal’s other owners include Eric Good of Denton, MD, Rich Lombardo Racing of Solon, Ohio, and Weaver Bruscemi, Canonsburg.

It was Bythemissal’s 10th win in 12 races this season and 11th lifetime victory in 13 starts. He was a $45,000 supplemental entry into the race.

Since purchasing the horse early this year, Burke has held to the thought that Bythemissal was a great 3-year-old pacer. After a season of outstanding, sustained performances, Bythemissal has proved to be just that.

“He’s a special horse,” Burke said after the Jug victory. “I really think he’s going to keep getting better.”

Bythemissal, who was off 19 days before the Jug, sat in the two-hole most of the race behind Fourever Boy, who is trained and partly owned by the Meadows’ Tim Twaddle. Once the two hit the head of the stretch, driver Chris Page pulled him from the pocket and took the lead.

Fourever Boy finished second and Night Hawk was third.

Burke nor Page never had a doubt.

“I really didn’t see a scenario where he would lose,” Burke said. “He is so fast, when the race turned into a sprint, you’re turning it into his game.”

It is the first Little Jug Brown drive for Page, a native of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Page raised his whip crossing the finish line.

“I was very confident,” Page said. “He’s a great horse. I know Tim Twaddle has done a good job with his horse and Dexter is a magician in the bike.

“This is special. I started coming here (in the late 1990s) and haven’t missed one since. It really pulled me in to wanting to drive.”

Bythemissal now has three major victories this season including The Adios and Carl Milstein Memorial. He is scheduled to compete in the Ohio Sire Stakes final at Hollywood Dayton October 1. Burke said Bythemissal will be supplemented into the Breeders Crown where he may have a showdown with Beach Glass that could decide the Dan Patch 3-year-old Pacer of the Year. The horses have split victories in their two races.

It was a second straight Little Brown Jug victory for Burke, who won with Lou’s Pearlman in 2021. His other two Jug wins were with Filibuster Hanover (2017) and Limelight Beach (2014).

His four Jug training wins places him with other Hall of Famers. The only others with at least four are Billy Haughton (6) and Stanley Dancer (4). Legendary Delvin Miller had three straight Jug training wins from 1950-52.

“That’s incredible,” Burke said. “That is some pretty great company.”

Bythemissal – a 1/9 favorite – won the first elimination in 1:51.3. He easily outdistanced Night Hawk, Atlas Hanover and Greatest Ending.

Fourever Boy won the second elimination in 1:51.4 as the horse came from the back to take over the lead by the half, which went in 55.1.

Finishing second through fourth were Six Feet Apart, Gulf Shores and Birthday – also trained by Burke.

Twaddle was overjoyed with Fourever Boy’s victory, his third straight.

“He’s coming on so nicely,” Twaddle said. “If it gets any better than this, I won’t be able to stand it.”