Gary Iles, retired from his career as a hair stylist and salon owner, and his wife Barbara, a retired nurse, usually follow a predictable pattern in naming their horses
. The Iles breed horses on their Harrington, Delaware farm and give them tonsorial names, like Hair She Goes, Pocket Comb, Barber Pole and Shampoo Girl.
This weekend they will send out the four-year-old pacing gelding Frog Juice (40-13-4-5, 1:50.1f, $238,094) in an $85,000 leg of the Classic Series for older pacers at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario. While the name does not seem to fit the “hair” patterns, Iles explained the connection.
“When I was working on the young ones and I’d spray something on their hair, instead of telling them it was styling lotion, I’d tell them it was frog juice,” he said. “They bought it. I’d tell them I had frogs imported and they’d say, ‘no, no.’ But I’d squirt the bottle and go, ‘ribbet, ribbet,’ just to have some fun with them.”
Things really started hopping for Frog Juice late in his three-year-old year when he moved to the George Teague Stable. In his two- and early three-year-old seasons, he managed a win in a Delaware-sired consolation race, but was otherwise not racing consistently well.
“Since George took him over, he’s really blossomed,” Iles said. “I honestly don’t know, I’ve gone over this with George, I’ve gone over it with [veterinarian Ken] Dr. Seeber. When George had Dr. Seeber look at him, they found some things that weren’t quite right, he needed some minimal vet work, did what was necessary and it seemed like it started turning around.”
From late September to early November 2008, Frog Juice put together a six-race win streak in Open and high level condition races at Harrah’s Chester and Dover Downs. Frog Juice’s turnaround was enough to get the Iles to stake him to all the major races for older horses.
“We got him in to quite a few of them,” Iles said. “George talked me in to having him staked and at this point, I’m kind of glad he did talk me in to it because he probably wouldn’t have anyplace else to go.”
Frog Juice has the William Haughton Memorial, U.S. Pacing Championship, Breeders Crown and Ben Franklin Pace in his future, as well as the invitationals, Dan Patch Pace at Hoosier Park and Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park.
In 2009, Frog Juice has won and been second in legs of the Classic, matching his career mark of 1:50.1 set last year.
“He’s really good coming from behind, off the pace,” Iles said. “He’s much better off the pace than I think he is trying to cut the mile. Tim Tetrick [who has driven him twice] told me if he can just keep him close and just come the last quarter, he’ll give you a :26 or :25.4 last quarter, which to me, is quite impressive. You’re going to close a lot of ground.”
The Iles own a farm in Harrington, Delaware, where they bred Frog Juice, as well as his mother Hair She Goes. They will be tending a newborn foal in need of attention and unable to travel to Mohawk to see Frog Juice race.
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(Harness Racing Communications)