Melillo seeks signature win in Little Brown Jug
In search of a signature stakes win, Melillo enters Thursday’s $650,000 Grade 1 Little Brown Jug at the Delaware (Ohio) County Fair poised for a big performance.
Melillo will have to best three others from his own stable – Al Papi, Frantic Hanover and Watch ‘Em Win – from Burke Racing Stable, Fredericktown, to gain that special victory.
Melillo is one of three entrants – Fragment and Al Papi – that have earned more than $1 million. He also will have to overcome Redland Rocket Man, the season’s fastest sophomore pacer in North America.
The second elimination features Melillo (Post 4) and the supplemental entry Redland Rocket Man (Post 5).
Melillo, with driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., comes into the Jug off a victory in the $300,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Final. His only previous start on a half-mile track was a victorious one in the $300,000 Carl Milstein Memorial (Grade 2) at Northfield Park.
The homebred son of Sweet Lou is owned by the Burke Racing Stable, Jason Melillo and Weaver Bruscemi.
“(Melillo) drew a little bit tougher division and a little bit tougher post, but if he can get out of his division with the win, then where he draws one or two, I think he’s as good as any horse in there,” said trainer Ron Burke.
Redland Rocket Man (driver Jody Jamieson) is the fastest three-year-old this season based on his 1:46.4 effort in the Simcoe Stakes (Grade 3) at Woodbine Mohawk Park two weeks ago.
In the first $50,000 elimination, Al Papi will leave from post No. 2.
Papi Rob Hanover was the winner of the Adios Pace (Grade 1) at The Meadows in 1:48.1.
Al Papi is owned by Burke Racing Stable, J&T Silva-Purnel-Libby, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi.
“He’s great,” Burke said. “He trained great and he drew a great spot. I expect big things out of him.”
The Little Brown Jug will be raced in two divisions and a final.
Frantic Hanover and Al Papi will be joined in the first division by Toast of the Town (Noel Daley, Jason Bartlett), Thai Hanover (Mitchell, Dexter Dun), Treacherous Lou (Robert Cleary, Tim Tetrick) and No Wait List (Blake MacIntosh, Doug McNair).
In the second division, in addition to Melillo will be Hunting Glory (Robert Cleary, Ridge Warren), Watch ‘Em Win (Burke, Tetrick), Fragment (Petter Engblom, Jason Bartlett) and Redlands Rocket Man.
The race is devoid of other top 3-year-old pacers the like Brandon Boulevard, winner of a Kentucky championship Sunday at the Red Mile, Beau Jangles and Odds On Mr Mamba.
“I think we need something to change,” Burke said. “Lexington needs to move back a week where there’s more time for people to have an opportunity to race. I think more people would come. Now, you must make a choice between two big races and people are doing what’s best for their horse. You never can get too upset when somebody’s doing that.”
The Jugette
Loua Dipa’s Adios experience was not the best, but she remains one of the top 3-year-old pacing fillies.
She has since had surgery to correct a breathing problem and Burke insists she’s ready to impress.
“She was vicious in qualifying,” Burke said. “She’s ready. She’s tight now. She’s as tight as she’s going be.”
The Jugette will be contested today for $227,400.
Loua Dipa returned to action in the Sept. 1 qualifying session at The Meadows. In her first appearance since competing against the colts in The Adios, she followed Dream Bird and Brad Burke through opening fractions of :28.4 and :58.2 before accelerating to the top down the backstretch for Ronnie Wrenn Jr. Loua Dipa hit three-quarters in 1:25.4 and took off in a :27.2 final quarter to win the qualifier in 1:53.1 by nearly seven lengths.
The 2025 divisional Dan Patch Award winner has won four in seven starts, including record victories in the Grade 1 Fan Hanover Stakes and Grade 3 Jerry Silverman Memorial. A 13-time career winner with more than $1.5 million in earnings, Loua Dipa is owned by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi.
While there are only eight entries in the Jugette, officials are making the same horses run a second heat to determine the champion.
That group includes Kilauea Hanover, trained by Norm Parker and driven by Mike Wilder, both of The Meadows.
“I had more expectations for her this year that she didn’t live up to,” Parker said. “Her last three or four races, she’s raced better. We knew we were eligible for this race. She’s made enough money the last few weeks that she’s paid her way into it on her own. The old adage is you can’t win them if you’re not in them. But you can’t get a check if you’re not in them either, and we’re trying to get a check.”
Burke has two others in the field including Sandyboots (Gingras) and I’m a Lou Lou (Tetrick). Others in the field are Darlin’s Angel (Lauren Tritton and Juan Cano), Perfect Thought (Scott Zeron and Jason McGinnis), Ideal Beauty Queen (Deter Dunn and Jake Huff) and Vanna By The River (Aaron Merriman and Cory Stratton). Merriman is a Meadows driver.
Love the Jug
Burke has found great success in the Jugette and the Jug with five training wins, including Louprint last year and Bythemissal in 2022. Burke-trained horses have won three of the last five Jugs and five of the last nine.
Burke-trained fillies have won the Jugette five times, including last season with Rodeo Drive Deo.
Also of note is the great Barberry Spur, driven by Bill O’Donnell, trained by Richard Stillings, and owned by Roy Davis, won the Jug 40 years ago in 1986.