Bulldog Hanover son produces two exceptional performances to capture the 81st Little Brown Jug.
“WOW… YEAH, HE IS SOMETHING… WOW… WOW… WOW, THAT WAS A HORSE RACE!”
The race call said it all as Redland Rocket Man, the brilliant three-year-old son of Bulldog Hanover, completed an extraordinary day at Delaware by capturing the 81st Little Brown Jug.
Redland Rocket Man won both heats on the same afternoon, taking his $50,000 elimination in 1:50.2 before returning just hours later to win the $550,000 Grade 1 Final in 1:49.4.
Both performances came around Delaware’s famous half-mile track, making the speed and manner of his victories all the more impressive.
TWO HEATS. TWO HUGE PERFORMANCES.
His elimination victory was exceptional.
Sitting last before making his move down the backstretch, Redland Rocket Man swept three-wide from fifth approaching the final turn and powered around the field. On the tight half-mile circuit, he went from last to first before drawing away to win by 4¾ lengths in 1:50.2.
Despite the effort, trainer John Pentland said Redland Rocket Man returned to the Jug barn and “wasn’t blowing at all.”
It was a telling sign from a horse whose stamina had been one of the reasons his connections believed he could handle the traditional two-heat format of the Little Brown Jug.
And just hours later, he was back.
In the Final, Redland Rocket Man was strongly challenged by fellow elimination winner Al Papi, who got within a nose at the three-quarter mark in 1:22.3.
Redland Rocket Man responded.
He sprinted home in a race-best :27.1 final quarter, drawing away to win by 4¼ lengths in 1:49.4.
Driver Jody Jamieson, winning his second Little Brown Jug, knew before the finish just how much horse he had underneath him.
“When we hit the turn, I got a little bit of separation, and I just knew this horse was going to keep pace,” Jamieson said.
After asking Redland Rocket Man to produce two winning performances on the same afternoon, Jamieson’s assessment was simple:
“He was bionic again.”
He later reflected on the great horses who have won the Jug under its demanding two-heat format:
“They all had to be bionic for two races, and this horse, Redland Rocket Man, was bionic.”
FROM 1:46.4 TO LITTLE BROWN JUG GLORY
The victory continues an extraordinary run for Redland Rocket Man.
Just 12 days earlier, he produced a breathtaking 1:46.4 mile in the Simcoe Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, equalling the world record for a three-year-old pacing gelding.
His connections then made the bold decision to pay US$45,000 to supplement him into the Little Brown Jug, and he rewarded that faith in spectacular fashion.
In the space of just 12 days, Redland Rocket Man produced three consecutive victories:
1:46.4 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
1:50.2 in his Little Brown Jug elimination.
1:49.4 in the Little Brown Jug Final.
The performances also showcased his remarkable versatility.
His world-record-equalling mile came on the expansive Woodbine Mohawk Park track. At Delaware, he adapted to the much tighter half-mile circuit and produced two vastly different winning performances just hours apart.
A HUGE RESULT FOR BULLDOG HANOVER
For Bulldog Hanover, Redland Rocket Man’s rise adds further weight to an already exciting start to his stud career.
Bred by Redland Farms, Redland Rocket Man is from Bulldog Hanover’s first crop and is out of Granny Hanover, a daughter of champion sire Captaintreacherous.
Importantly, Bulldog Hanover’s first crop numbered just 54 foals, as he was still racing while serving mares during his first season at stud.
Despite those limited numbers, Bulldog Hanover finished second among North America’s rookie pacing sires by average earnings when his first crop reached the track as two-year-olds in 2025.
Now three, they continue to build on that early success – headlined by a world-record-equalling pacer and Little Brown Jug champion in Redland Rocket Man.
The story behind the mating is equally interesting.
Redland Farms specifically selected Bulldog Hanover for Granny Hanover, while trainer John Pentland was also keen to secure progeny from Bulldog Hanover’s first crop when they reached the yearling sales.
“I was definitely looking for some Bulldog Hanovers,” Pentland said.
Redland Rocket Man caught his eye and was purchased for just $30,000 at the 2024 Standardbred Horse Sale.
Pentland recalled:
“I really liked this colt. He trained down really well; he kind of let you know he was a good horse. He had a big, long stride, he was easy to work with, he just wanted to win.”
That $30,000 yearling – by Bulldog Hanover from a Captaintreacherous mare – is now a Little Brown Jug champion and world-record-equalling pacer, with more than $677,000 in career earnings.
For a stallion whose oldest progeny are only three, Redland Rocket Man provides an exciting glimpse of what is emerging from Bulldog Hanover’s limited first crop.
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