On this day 10 years ago, a bay son of Mr Wiggles was born that would go on to charm harness racing fans while winning some of the most entertaining battles seen on track this millennium.
That gusty gelding with a will to win that instilled confidence in his connections and made him a fan favourite is the O'Brien Award winner and world champion Wiggle It Jiggleit.
After turning heads right out of the gate with an 11-race win streak to kick off his career, Wiggle It Jiggleit’s popularity soared as he played a starring role on the Grand Circuit during his three-year-old season, highlighted by his epic battle in the 2015 Little Brown Jug at Delaware County Fairgrounds.
Wiggle It Jiggleit’s persistent performance in that second heat racing bridle-to-bridle with Lost For Words from the three-eighths mark on and digging back in down the stretch when it looked like he was beat to prevail by a nose made the 70th running of the Jug one for the ages.
Beyond his famous Little Brown Jug feat, Wiggle It Jiggleit went on to duke it out with the sport's fastest pacer, Always B Miki, and popular rival Freaky Feet Pete, among other heavyweights, during his aged campaign competing at numerous racetracks across North America.
He danced all the big dances and his list of accomplishments is impressive with major stakes wins including the Max C. Hempt Memorial, Meadowlands Pace, Carl Milstein Memorial, Battle of Brandywine, Maton Stakes, Progress Pace, Battle of Lake Erie, Dorothy Mullin Invitational, Graduate Series Final, Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial, Dan Patch Stakes, Canadian Pacing Derby, Bobby Quillen Memorial, Dayton Pacing Derby and Yonkers Invitational.
And he was stakes placed in the North America Cup, Monument Circle, Confederation Cup, U.S. Pacing Championship, Prix d'Ete, Jim Ewart Memorial, Breeders Crown, Ben Franklin and William Haughton Memorial.
Wiggle It Jiggleit was owned by Hall of Fame horseman George Teague, with his son Montrell driving and assistant Clyde Francis handling the training duties.
“Right from the day he qualified, it was over-the-top fun,” Teague told Trot Insider while reflecting on what the champion racehorse has meant to him and his family. “He [provided you with the amount of confidence when] he was racing that you always had a chance to win. And there are not too many horses that you can take to the racetrack and be that confident with.
“And for Montrell to drive him, as a father and as an owner of a horse like that, I would say that that is almost the perfect scenario. So [he] means everything because there are not too many people [that] can say any of that. But owning him, he provided all that.”
In celebration of Wiggle It Jiggleit’s milestone birthday, Trot Insider takes a look back at one of his greatest triumphs, the 2015 Little Brown Jug.
Wiggle It Jiggleit retired from racing in 2020 with a career record reading 39-12-6 from 66 starts and more than $4 million in earnings. Teague shared an update on the 10-year-old pacer now living at his forever home in Delaware.
“’Wiggles’ is home on my farm living life out in the field with his best buddy Western Ace. And [those are] my plans [for him], as long as I stay alive, because I think he will probably outlive me,” said Teague with a laugh. “This will be the last spot for him. He is just enjoying life doing nothing. And he definitely deserves that.”