by Iowa Harness Horse Association
Humboldt, Iowa — Competition continues to be tight in the 2-year-old filly division of Iowa-registered trotters. With Saturday’s (Aug. 19) win at the Humboldt fairgrounds Ima Juggernaut takes a slight lead in the standings over rival Princess Legacy. The two Lou’s Legacy fillies have been tied in the standings most of the year.
“We’re going to go back and forth this year and all next year,” said Ima Juggernaut’s owner Mark Mintun. “It’s going to be fun.”
Photo courtesy of the Iowa Harness Horse Association
Mark Mintun andfamily celebrate in the winner’s circle with Ima Juggernaut.
Saturday’s race was a showdown between the two leader’s and both fillies went into the race with different plans.
Tyson Paris, who owns Princess Legacy with his grandmother Carol Paris, spent some one-on-one time with Princess before the race.
“He does these pep talks – they’re amazing,” said Mintun.
“I gave her a little pep talk to motivate her,” said Paris who just turned 14-years-old. “I just give the horses a little heads up to let them know who’s the best horse out there.”
Mintun went in with a different game plan for Juggernaut than previous weeks.
“I decided to leave her earplugs out and see if I could push Adam (Hauser and Princess Legacy) in the first turn just a touch. His filly grabbed the right line and made a little break,” said Mintun.
It was too much for Princess Legacy to overcome.
“When it came to race time that one break just got us,” said Paris.
Mintun and Ima Juggernaut took advantage of the situation.
“My plan after that was to never touch the breaks, just let her do what she does. She trotted four quarters in :31 so they were pretty well marched out. I never grabbed her, I never touched her, at the end I was chasing her some,” said Mintun. “She wasn’t perfect, but that’s a pretty big mile for a 2-year-old.”
Ima Juggernaut crossed the wire in 2:04.2, with Princess Legacy picking up second. Another Lou’s Legacy filly, Can’t Match This, took third for Royal Roland.
Mintun is a marine and currently works as an emergency room provider in a hospital in central Iowa. He owns, trains, and drives horses in Iowa throughout his summers.
Last Sept. he received a phone call about a “gorgeous” filly that he was told he “needed to buy”.
“I went and looked at her at an Amish farm and she was kind of small and squaty and sickle-hocked. I thought ‘I don’t think I really need her’, but the price was right,” said Mintun who paid $2,800 and owns Juggernaut with his sister Stephanie Gould. “It’s kind of crazy. I didn’t think she was going to come around the way she did.”
As soon as he started with her he knew he had something special.
“Training down she was beating my pacing fillies – the whole spring!” said Mintun. “She’s got a few little issues we had to take care of like all racehorses but for the most part she’s been good from day one.”
Mintun needed a name to match her performance. He calls his 3-year-old son Quentin “Juggernaut” who he descibes as “all gas pedal and no breaks” and it seemed fitting.
“I kind of fell into her and that’s the way it should happen,” said Mintun.
Both Ima Juggernaut and Princess Legacy will get two weeks off before Iowa-registered racing resumes at What Cheer.
“His filly and my filly, they’ve got a long way to go and they’re going to continue to get better,” said Mintun referring the two top Lou’s Legacy fillies. “It’s kind of amazing that the 2-year-olds out here can trot in 2:04-to-2:05 in August. That’s pretty snappy for a bunch of Iowa-bred horses.”