Beach Towel, In The Pocket Among Top Brown Jug Eligibles

Early favorites Beach Towel and In The Pocket are among the record 223 eligibles for the 45th edition of the $500,000 Little Brown Jug pacing classic Sept. 20 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

The Little Brown Jug is the third jewel of pacing’s triple crown.

Beach Towel, the winter book favorite, is the son of French Chef. Owned by the Uptown Stable of New York City, the bay colt won 11 of 13 starts with a second and set his lifetime mark of 1:53 3/5 in winning the presidential final at Rosecroft Raceway last year.

In The Pocket, by Direct Scooter, is trained by Ken Seeber and owned by LPG Standardbred Inc. of New Jersey and others. He won seven of 18 starts, including the $618,000 Governor’s Cup at Garden State Park. He shows four seconds and four thirds and a best mile time of 1:53 4/5.

An eligible is a pacer whose owner has paid starting fees and kept up eligibility payments.