Montrell Teague (born January 2, 1991) is an American

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

driver. He won the 2015 Dan Patch Rising Star Award at the age of 24 after winning the Little Brown Jug and Meadowlands Pace with 2015 Harness Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit. He is also noted for becoming the youngest driver to win a major stakes race at

Hoosier Park Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino is a racino including a standardbred racetrack located in Anderson, Indiana, approximately 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis. It is owned and operated by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. The facility f ...

in 2011 at the age of 20.

Personal life

Teague is a

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

native, the son of well known horseman George Teague Jr., who owns Teague Stable and Farm in Harrington, Delaware. His father started to teach him to drive when he was about 10 years old.

Racing career

Teague races mainly at Harrington Raceway and

Harrah's Philadelphia Harrah's Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack is a harness racing track and casino (a racino) on the Chester, Pennsylvania dock (maritime), waterfront. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment (2020), Caesars Entertainment. ...

. In 2010, he won two $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeder Fund championships with No Bad Luck. In 2011, he scored his first major win in the $300,00 Max Hempt Memorial with Custard the Dragon, owned and trained by his father. The two later won the $500,000 Hoosier Cup, making Teague the youngest driver to ever win a major stakes race at

. In 2015, he reached national prominence for his partnership with Wiggle It Jiggleit, earning Teague the Dan Patch Rising Star Award. The highlight of the year was their victory in the Little Brown Jug, widely considered to be one of the greatest harness races of all time. "I had a guy come up to me a few days later at (Harrah's Philadelphia) and he said 'I've been watching harness racing for 50 years and I want to say thank you for giving me the thrill of my lifetime, to watch the best race I've ever seen.' I never would have expected that," recalled Teague in a later interview. The pair's other wins included the Meadowlands Pace, Carl Milstein Memorial Pace, Matron Male Stakes and Hap Hansen Progress Pace. In 2016, Teague continued to travel around North America with Wiggle It Jiggleit, with major wins including the Dan Patch Stakes at Hoosier Park and

Canadian Pacing Derby The Canadian Pacing Derby is a race for three-year-old Standardbred Free For All pacers run at a distance of one mile at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario. Historical race events The Canadian Pacing Derby was first run on August 12, 193 ...

Mohawk Racetrack Mohawk Racetrack (branded as Woodbine Mohawk Park) is a harness racing track in Campbellville, Ontario. It is owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group (formerly the Ontario Jockey Club) and is about 40 km southwest of the company's other racet ...

. "A lot of horses can't travel around like that and still race good," said Teague. "He's the exception. I've never seen it done. It hasn't bothered him yet. Harrington is his home, but we've only raced him there once. It seems like everywhere has been his home track. When people know he is racing at their track, they try to make it out there to see him live." Teague earned his 1,000th career win with Henry The Dragon on September 27, 2016 in a $20,000 division of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund stakes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teague, Montrell 1991 births Living people Harness racing in the United States Dan Patch Award winners People from Harrington, Delaware