"He was kind of a colt that came along a little late in training as a two-year-old. He wasn't one of my favourites early on but as time developed and he started working on the racetrack, he definitely started to win me over."
Not too many horses beat Sweet Lou in 2011, but George Teague's pacing colt Easy Again did just that. The lightly-raced colt only faced the starting gate only seven times last year but was impressive enough in those seven outings with three wins to warrant inclusion in the Trot 2012 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book at odds of 25-1. Coming in at #9, Trot Radio's Norm Borg talked to Teague for a status report on the Dragon Again colt.
You shut him down early. How did he winter and how will that help him?
"He wintered well and he got a little extra time off because he wasn't overly staked. He wasn't staked much past September-October so he got a bit longer of a rest than some other colts got, and there are pros and cons to it. He should be fresher, maybe last the season longer...the other part of it is when you're off that long, it takes you longer to get back."
Where are you at with him right now?
"He came out of the March qualifiers real well. He's kind of a laid back colt, he does everything well. He's got big speed to him so I'm not too worried about anything, as soon as you crank him up in a race he should be fine and ready to go forward."
Anything you'd like to see him improve upon as a three-year-old?
"I'd like to see him spring off the wings a little quicker, maybe get into position a little better. Last year he'd get scrambled up a little bit and he'd get a little anxious. As the season got longer, he got a little smarter."
When will he debut?
"Probably at Dover Downs, maybe next week in a non-winners of four."
What will his early schedule look like leading up to and after the Pepsi NA Cup?
"He's fully loaded, he's got a couple of PA Sire Stakes we have him eligible to and the Somebeachsomewhere. When we scoped out his schedule it kind of catered to him. Hopefully, North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace, so on and so forth."
Any stablemates in the barn right now that are paid up and also looking promising?
"Racing Rocky, I'm pretty high on him also. Another colt I qualified the other day, Allstar Legend and Cold Hearted Shark - he actually tied the world record over Ohio last year in 1:52.4."
Teague and Borg discuss the regally-bred Somwherovrarainbow, a two-year-old filly sired by Somebeachsomewhere out of the sensational Rainbow Blue, as well as Teague's status as a ground-breaking African-American trainer in harness racing. To hear the full interview, click the play button below.
Episode 258 – trainer George Teague
Audio Format: MP3 audio
Host: Norm Borg
Please note that the opinions expressed in the featured interview are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect Rideau Carleton Raceway and/or Standardbred Canada.