by Dean A. Hoffman

Trainer George Teague is bringing Total Truth back to the races next year as a 4-year-old. Why? He wasn’t entirely satisfied with the colt’s 2006 season.

Of course, all that Total Truth did in 2006 is earn $1,494,222, about a half-million bucks more than any other pacer in North America. George Teague isn’t greedy and he isn’t crazy; he simply thinks that Total Truth might build up his value as a stallion next year.

“Yeah, I think he can enhance his reputation as a 4-year-old,” says Teague. “He can’t earn as much because the purses aren’t as big for older horses, but I think he’ll do real well next year.”

Total Truth did real well this year, winning eight times in 19 tries and he’s a formidable contender for Pacer of the Year honors.

Most impressively, Total Truth was good over a long period during the season, winning the $1,350,000 North America Cup in June and winning the $348,900 Progress Pace in November.

“In fact, I think that he was as good in his last start [Nov. 27] as he was at any time in the year,” says Teague, referring to Total Truth’s third-place finish to stablemate Western Ace in the Matron Stake final.

It’s a glowing tribute to Teague’s horsemanship that Total Truth stayed sharp and fit throughout the long and grueling sophomore campaign. He didn’t win every race, but he only missed a paycheck twice in the year.

“I just tried not to overdo it with him between races,” says Teague of his training program. “I’m lucky because I’ve got a good facility at Harrington and lucky that we could space out his races.”

While Total Truth is now enjoying some turnout time, he wasn’t turned out during the season. Between races Teague eased up on him by reducing his work on the track and going light trips with him.

Total Truth raced heats in the Hoosier Cup, Adios, and Little Brown Jug. Teague says that he’s not a fan of heats, but he admits that heat racing didn’t bother Total Truth that much. He says that the colt’s two-heat win in the Hoosier came despite the fact that Team Teague got lost while shipping from Delaware to Hoosier Park. He can laugh about it now, but apparently Team Teague members got to see parts of the Hoosier State that they’d never really planned to see.

“There was a spell in mid-summer when he wasn’t 100 percent,” admits Teague. “That was right at the time of the Meadowlands Pace. He was third in his elimination, but he just really flattened out down by the wire. We scoped him and he wasn’t too bad, but in the final he wasn’t that good and finished eighth. It was a combination of him not being 100 percent and a bad trip. He was behind [stablemate] Western Ace and that was one night when Ace didn’t get into the race.”

One of the attributes that made Teague’s job easier is that Total Truth is virtually a “vet-free” horse as far as soundness.

“He never had a major problem,” he says. “He never wears a bandage.”

Teague hasn’t mapped out a campaign for Total Truth for 2007 yet as the colt’s last race was only a month ago today. He’ll let him get some well-earned R & R before he puts the harness back on him.

While Teague says that there were some offers to stand Total Truth at stud in 2007, he expects to have the pleasure of racing the son of Jenna’s Beach Boy and feels that his future performances will only enhance his stud value.