by Kim French, USTA Internet News Editor

Northfield, OH — As he wended his way through the plethora of interviews, effusive rounds of congratulations and several obligatory selfies, Montrell Teague simply could not stop smiling. For those in close enough proximity to the finish line for Saturday evening’s (May 21) edition of the $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park, they witnessed the beaming grin upon his face as he and his charge Wiggle It Jiggleit crossed the finish line as emphatic victors. Teague, however, acknowledged the seemingly easy triumph over a stellar field in a track record 1:49.4 was anything but stress free.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Wiggle It Jiggleit and Montrell Teague crossed the finish line in 1:49.4, a track record for 4-year-old pacing geldings.

“After I saw the timer flash :28 for the first quarter I could not help but smile,” he said. “But when I looked over my shoulder and saw Freaky Feet Pete nearly alongside me that smile was gone. Even with that easy half-mile in :55.4 and our horse already proven over a half-mile track and Freaky Feet Pete had never raced on one, I was definitely worried about him. He is a serious horse and even with him coming first over the entire way, I knew he could still get the job done. He is an extremely tough horse and I’m just proud of how my horse raced tonight to beat one like him.”

Despite the presence of Foiled Again, the wealthiest horse in harness racing history and millionaires Luck Be Withyou and All Bets Off, The Battle of Lake Erie was billed as a rubber match between the defending Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit, conditioned by Clyde Francis, and the 3-year-old Breeders Crown winner Freaky Feet Pete, who is trained by Larry Rheinheimer.

After all, this was the fourth encounter between the two superstar 4-year-olds and Freaky Feet Pete held the advantage over the 2015 champion at 2-1.

Sent off at odds of 1-2, Teague easily snatched the lead from post position one immediately after he and the son of Mr Wiggles and Mozzi Hanover paced away from the gate. The other seven members of the field surprisingly enough seemed content to allow Wiggle It Jiggleit to roll unopposed on the front through a half in :55.4. That is when reinsman Trace Tetrick decided it was time to put some pressure on Wiggle It Jiggleit and pulled Freaky Feet Pete, who was the public’s second selection at 6-5, from fourth position to challenge his rival.

Although the Indiana champion appeared to be moving at full throttle after three-quarters in 1:23, he could not pass Wiggle It Jiggleit or even draw close enough alongside to look him in the eye in the stretch. As the horses strode towards the finish line, Wiggle It Jiggleit only placed more distance between himself and his opponents, as Freaky Feet Pete’s early efforts were clearly responsible for him retreating several hundred yards before the wire.

This allowed All Bets Off, at odds of 30-1, to come on and collect second place. Freaky Feet Pete was third and Luck Be Withyou rounded out the superfecta. The winning margin was 4-1/4 lengths.

“My horse scoped a little sick at Mohawk (when he finished second on May 7 in a $26,180 Preferred Handicap),” Teague said. “Then in the Confederation Cup (a second place finish on May 15) we had a really rough trip. I was just going to take care of him and not brutalize him. We were confident with him coming into this race, but we knew it was not going to be easy. Not only is Freaky Feet Pete an outstanding horse, but all of these horses are very talented. We knew things had to go our way and thankfully they did.

“I just enjoy every moment I have driving him and every time I am behind him I am thankful. I really cannot wait to race him the rest of the year to see what else he can accomplish. How can you not always be smiling when you are driving a horse like him?”

Owned by Teague’s father, George Teague Jr., and Teague Racing Partnership, Wiggle It Jiggleit paid $3.00 to win and cemented a $48.00 exacta and a $97.80 pay-off for the trifecta.