Top colts ready for NA Cup

Trainer George Teague Jr. laughed when asked about the post position draw for Saturday’s North America Cup eliminations, where his colts Total Truth and Western Ace drew the outside posts seven and eight in their respective heats. Total Truth never drew outside post four in seven starts last year and had post five in his Burlington division win last week; Western Ace has landed spots on the starting gate outside the six hole just twice in his 16-career start and won both those times from post eight.

“They’re not the best spots, are they,” said Teague with a big laugh Wednesday morning. “The draws have been good to me so I guess I can’t complain when I get one bad one.”

While Total Truth came up a winner in the Burlington in his 2006 debut, Teague had to scratch Western Ace out of his respective split after the 2005 Woodrow Wilson winner spiked a temperature. Teague said his sister Brenda had taken the 3-year-old colt a good training mile earlier Wednesday morning at Mohawk.

“Brenda said he acted like he was back to his old self,” said Teague. “Things happen, and I’m glad it happened last week instead of this week, if it had to happen at all.”

Western Ace drew into the same elim as Artstanding, who handed the Wilson winner his first-ever defeat in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final a couple weeks prior, as well as Burlington division winners Joe To Go and Mr. Feelgood, as well as highly-regarded Western Cyclone.

As for Total Truth, who will line up behind the starting gate along with reigning divisional champ Jereme’s Jet and recent New Jersey Classic winner Feelin Friskie, Teague said, “He looked pretty impressive in his first start; he had a last quarter of :26.3 and got a good trip out of it. I’m pretty pleased about that. He’s a nice colt. He showed last year that he could come back as one of the contenders, and so far he’s come back well. Hopefully he’ll fall in a good spot Saturday and I think he’ll be all right.”

Ron Pierce drives both pacers, and Teague says he has no instructions for the Hall of Fame reinsman as he tries to earn return tickets to the $1.5 million Cup final Saturday, June 17. “Ronnie’s drove for me the last three years and I’ve never told him how to drive one race,” said Teague with a chuckle. “I leave all that strictly up to him.”

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