stakes recap

By Ken Weingartner

Beau Jangles put an exclamation point on an undefeated freshman season Friday, winning the $700,000 (USD) Grade 1 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old male pacers by a length over Al Papi in a stakes-, track- and Canadian-record 1:48.3 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Melillo finished third.

Making his final start of the year, Beau Jangles wrapped up a perfect 12-for-12 campaign by fighting to the front in a parked-out :54 half and fending off all challengers in the stretch with a :26.4 kick home for driver Bob McClure and trainer Dr. Ian Moore.

“I just wanted to keep him out of trouble, not get in a hurry,” said McClure, who won a Breeders Crown final for the fourth time in his career. “I knew they were going to race him hard, and they did, but I also didn't think there was much they could throw at him that he couldn't handle.”

Al Papi and driver Yannick Gingras led the field to the opening quarter in :27 before Brandon Blvd, with Dexter Dunn, moved to the front on the backstretch and forced Beau Jangles to work to take the lead from third at the half. Beau Jangles brought the field to three-quarters in 1:21.4 and continued from there to victory.

“Honestly, he was flicking his ears up and down in the lane,” McClure said. “He had more left for sure. He just loves to race.”

Beau Jangles gave Moore his second Breeders Crown trophy.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Moore said. “I mean, what a horse he is. It’s just unbelievable to see him do that this late in the season. He's just unreal.

“He just impresses me every time I see him, every time I sit behind him. He's just an incredible animal, and we owe him a lot for this year. It's been a tremendous ride for all of us, and we hope to do it again next year, that's for sure.”

Beau Jangles is owned by Graham Grace Stables (Adam Ainspan and Mary Beth Roberts), Kiwi Stables (Jonathan Roberts and Anne Hooper), and Bolton Stables (Ed, Garth and Philip Bolton and John Draper). The son of Cattlewash-Mrs Major Hill was bred by Tara Hills Stud.

“It’s been incredible,” Ainspan said. “I've been doing this for 20 years, and he's by far the best one I've had, and it's really fun just to have him race up here and see how excited all the Canadians are about him. Horseracing is fun, amazing, and this just makes it more fun to be a part of it.”

Said Jonathan Roberts, “Halfway down the lane, I thought he was going to get it done. (But) after those types of fractions, and he was out to the second turn just about, that's tough on any horse. It takes a great horse to dig deep after that on a cold night like tonight and throw another :26 quarter at them at the end. It's just unbelievable." 

Sent off as the 2-5 favourite, Beau Jangles paid $2.90 to win.