Wiggle It Jiggleit rebuffed a challenge from rival Wakizashi Hanover en route to setting a new track record for three-year-old male pacers in the $405,000 Carl Milstein Memorial on Friday night at Northfield Park.
The second edition of the Milstein offered the largest purse ever in Northfield’s 58-year history.
Twenty-four-year-old driver Montrell Teague steered the Mr Wiggles gelding to the 1:49.3 victory, which shaved one-fifth of a second off colt National Seelster's record and shattered the 1:52 gelding mark held by Gryffindor and Hare Craft. It also came within just two-fifths of Rocknroll Dance's all-age track record of 1:49.1.
Leaving from post four, 1-9 favourite Wiggle It Jiggleit worked his way to the lead over Lost For Words (David Miller) by the first quarter mark in :26.1 before outside assignee Wakizashi Hanover (Tim Tetrick) launched his first over challenge from fifth. Wiggle It Jiggleit continued to lead through a leisurely half in :55.3 with Wakizashi Hanover moving up to pressure and looming just to outside as they raced by three-quarters in 1:22.4. However, Wiggle It Jiggleit kept Wakizashi Hanover at bay and drew off down the stretch to win, with Lost For Words following one and a half lengths behind in second. Wakizashi Hanover settled for third, finishing three lengths back.
"I've been telling dad, we were always thinking about breaking records and stuff like that, but I'd rather have him in the long run so I'll take care of him as long as I can and we'll see him later in the season," noted Teague, referring to his second quarter breather in the race. "I didn't want to do another crazy half like I did last time, I just wanted to take care of him as much as I can."
Wiggle It Jiggleit has just two losses in his 17-race, million-dollar sophomore campaign, including a runner-up effort to Wakizashi Hanover in the North America Cup at Mohawk Racetrack in June and a fourth-place finish in the Cane Pace at The Meadowlands last week.
"To bounce back like that and get back in the winner's circle and quiet the doubters and everything like that, it's amazing, to go [1]:49 on a half-mile track again," said Teague, who drives the gelding owned by his father George and trained by Clyde Francis.
With victories including the Indiana Sires Stakes, Max C. Hempt Memorial, Meadowlands Pace and Milstein under his belt, Wiggle It Jiggleit will look to conquer the Battle of the Brandywine next week at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
After that, it's the Little Brown Jug and another stop in Indiana where Wiggle It Jiggleit would meet up with Freaky Feet Pete again, a horse he defeated in an earlier leg of sires stakes and that just set a new Hoosier Park record earlier this evening.
"[Freaky Feet Pete] is definitely the main competition out there by far," he said. "We're looking to get back out there and have a good race out of it."
Favourites Prevail In Ohio Sires Stakes
Like Old Times won the first of four $40,000 Ohio Sires Stakes divisions for three-year-old fillies on the Friday night undercard at Northfield Park. The Don McKirgan-trained daughter of Chip Chip Hooray bested seven trotting rivals to win in a front-stepping 1:57 with Ronnie Wrenn Jr. at the lines. Owned and bred by Keith Ross, Like Old Times pushed her seasonal earnings to $108,512 in her ninth triumph of the year in 12 starts. She won the second leg of this series on June 12 at this same venue. Student Of Life (Kurt Sugg) was second, while Id Rather Walk (Aaron Merriman) grabbed third.
Trainer Marty Wollam harnessed Dark Roast to a wire-to-wire 1:57.1 victory in the second division for sophomore trotting fillies. Kurt Sugg was in the sulky behind the daughter of Full Count, who was bred by Marvin Raber. Dark Roast pushed her career earnings to $118,288 with the win, her third in sires stakes competition this season. Owned by Acadia Farms Inc. and G&B Racing, the venerable filly won the first leg on May 1 at Miami Valley in 1:58 and the second at Northfield on June 12 in 1:57.3. Lisa Jane (Ryan Stahl) finished second, while Im Chiptastic was third for Aaron Merriman.
Karlee Sue grabbed the lead at the quarter and never looked back, taking the sophomore filly pacing division easily in 1:55.1. Reined by Tim Tetrick for trainer and co-owner Al Tomlinson for partners Daniel Mitchell and Dennis Stolz, the daughter of Feelin Friskie pushed her career bankroll to $99,227 in her fourth win in 11 starts this year. Bred by Midland Acres, Karlee Sue won a second leg of this series on June 12 at Northfield in 1:54.2. E Ticket Ride (Aaron Merriman) finished second and Sectionlinefriskie (Chris Page) nabbed show honours.
Crosswinds Cupcake, a David Elliott trainee, captured the second pacing division in a demanding, wire-to-wire effort in 1:54.1 with Dan Noble at the controls, besting her rivals by four lengths. Bred by and co-owned by Crosswinds Farm, Waynesville and Stephen Sexton, this daughter of Stand Forever-Keystone Mulberry-Artsplace notched her third consecutive victory and her eighth lifetime win, pushing her career earnings to $124,254. Feeling Outrageous (Ken Holiday) finished second, while Bell Flower (Chris Page) got up for third.
Leg four of Ohio Sires Stakes for three-year-old trotting and pacing fillies will be contested Friday, Aug. 28 at Scioto Downs, while the $225,000 Championships for all two and three-year-old divisions of trotters and pacers, colts and fillies, will take place on Sept. 12 at Scioto Downs.
(With files from Ohio State Racing Commission)