NATIONAL ROUNDUP : Beach Towel Takes Little Brown Jug

Beach Towel backed up his pre-race billing as the top 3-year-old in the field in a wire-to-wire 1 1/2-length victory in the 45th Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Delaware, Ohio, Thursday.

Starting from the third post position, driver Ray Remmen pushed Beach Towel to the rail at the outset of the championship heat and was never headed, winning the third of pacing’s Triple Crown events in 1:53 3/5.

“My horse felt real confident in the final heat,” Remmen said. “It was a great race and a great thrill.”

Beach Towel, purchased for $22,000 in 1988 and owned by Seth Rosenfeld and others under the name of the Uptown Stable of New York, won for the 15th time in 19 starts this year with three seconds. He broke and didn’t finish in the other race.

In The Pocket, driven by John Campbell, was second, followed by Kiev Hanover, with Jimmy Morand in the sulky.

Beach Towel paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10. In The Pocket paid $2.20 and $2.10, and Kiev Hanover returned $2.10.

The victory was worth $186,038 to Beach Towel, who started the day with career earnings of more than $2 million.

Silver Ending, with a four-race losing streak, is the 5-2 favorite when he meets 11 rivals today in the $300,000 Pegasus Handicap for 3-year-olds at the Meadowlands at East Rutherford, N.J.

Silver Ending has won four of 12 career starts and earned $734,000, but he comes off a disappointing fifth-place performance in the Del Mar Derby on the turf. He last won in the Arkansas Derby in April.

He had a 1:35 2/5 workout for a mile at Del Mar last week and was assigned highweight of 119 pounds for the Pegasus. Eddie Delahoussaye is his rider.

Pleasant Tap is the 3-1 second choice under Kent Desormeaux.

Chief Honcho, 116, was made the 4-1 third choice. The Bill Mott-trained colt has won four of eight lifetime starts, including the Jim Dandy at Saratoga. Michael Smith is the rider.

Fashion Miss rallied down the center of the track to take the $60,000 Queen Empress Stakes on opening day of a 76-day fall meeting at the Laurel, Md., race course.

The victory was jockey Edgar Prado’s fourth of the day.

The 2-year-old filly earned $36,0000 for owner-trainer Vinnie Blengs by completing a mile over a firm turf course in 1:37 3/5.

Aca Joy, who led most of the way, finished a half-length behind in second. Private Treasure, the favorite in the field of 11, was another head back in third.

Fashion Miss paid $6.20, $4.40 and $2.60. Aca Joy paid $11.20 and $6.20, and Private Treasure paid $2.80. The 1-2 exacta was worth $45.