Grand River: Ontario-sired stars strut their stuff on Industry Day

It was a record-setting Industry Day on Monday at Grand River Raceway as the Canadian standards for a 2-year-old pacing colt, a rookie pacing filly and a 3-year-old gelding pacer on a five-eighths-mile track were all broken.

In the main event of the day, the C$227,100 Battle of Waterloo for the Ontario-sired freshmen male pacers, Beau Jangles (Bob McClure) settled in third to the 26 3/5 quarter and then moved to the front on the way to the 55 second half-mile marker. From there, Beau Jangles reached three-quarters in 1:23 3/5 and then came home in 27 2/5 to defeat Tilthecowscomehome (Jody Jamieson) by a length and three-quarters in 1:51. Dax Seelster (Trevor Henry) was third.

That clocking erased the previous Canadian record of 1:51 3/5 set by Falcons Future all the way back in 1993 when Mohawk Raceway was still a five-eighths-mile oval.

"Today, you never know how they're going to handle a small track and quick getaway. I had them all beat to the turn, I could've driven through and made them take a seat and sit, but he's so push-button that I was able to let them go, settle and then make my move to the front," McClure remarked post-race. "It was basically an armchair ride from there. The only reason I even spoke to him at all was because he was so busy down the stretch checking everything out. He's just playing around out there right now, but the big tests are soon to come, so we'll see how he stands up to it."

Beau Jangles, a Cattlewash colt bred by Tara Hills Stud, is trained by Dr. Ian Moore for owners Graham Grace Stables LLC., Kiwi Stables LLC. and Bolton Stables. Beau Jangles has won all three of his starts, has earned C$253,550 and paid $2.80 to win.

"We've had a lot of good horses along the way, been very fortunate to have that, but this guy has just progressively got better since the first of April," offered Dr. Moore. "He trained in my second set out of four all winter, and then when April came, he got in the first set. He was always there knocking on the door with the other two colts that trained with him. As he's progressed now into the racing season, he's gotten even better. I'm very pleased and I was kind of glad there were no eliminations because a two-week rotation seems very good for a 2-year-old colt for me.

"We've looked at ten races as a good number for him this year, so we'll work around that and go from there. I think the next one might be a (Ontario Sires Stakes) Gold in a couple of weeks' time."

One race prior to the Battle of Waterloo was the C$153,000 Battle of the Belles for Ontario-sired 2-year-old filly pacers, and Jen Tilly (Louis Roy) blasted to the point in a 26 3/5 quarter, then yielded to elimination winner Romantic Beauty (Doug McNair) past that station.

As they went to the 54 4/5 half, driver Jody Jamieson put Daya to the outside first-up from fifth, and she would take command on the way to the 1:22 1/5 three-quarters while she opened up a big advantage on the others. Daya cruised home from there to defeat Lavender Seelster (Paul MacKenzie) by 4 1/4 lengths in a 1:50 4/5 performance and TH Check Me Out (James MacDonald) checked in third.

That time of 1:50 4/5 bettered the previous mark of 1:51 2/5 established by Percy Bluechip at Georgian Downs on July 9, 2017.

"I moved her here in front of the grandstand just to make sure that I wasn't in any trouble," Jamieson remarked. "I just let her pace, and holy crap did she ever pace. 1:22 1/5 and I never spoke to her the rest of the way. I just kept her pacing to the wire. She's a special filly and Jack's (owner/breeder/trainer Jack Darling) believed in her all the way."

Daya is from the first crop of Darling's world champion Bulldog Hanover, and she's compiled a record of 3-1-0 from four appearances to go with a bankroll of C$127,600. She returned $5 to win.

"Being a homebred out of my broodmare and by Bulldog, it just is extra-special," stated Darling. "She's staked in everything here in Ontario. She's got the OSS and then she's got the big ones at Mohawk. She's in the Breeders Crown too if she's good enough at that point."

On the undercard, Allstar Maniac (James MacDonald) captured his C$90,000 OSS Gold Series test from first-over in 1:49 flat, defeating tempo-setter Sterling Choice (Billy Davis Jr.) by half a length. That clocking of 1:49 knocked a full second off the Canadian record for a sophomore gelding pacer of 1:50 that had belonged to Michael's Power since May 26, 2012 at Georgian Downs.

"I loved the fractions," MacDonald said. "I thought it might set up a little bit like that. He was on the right line in the last turn, so, I had to wait until we straightened up. But, when I called on him, he took off again."

Owned by Millar Farms and bred by Allstar Farms, Allstar Maniac is trained by Nick Gallucci. Allstar Maniac, a gelded son of All Bets Off, made his sixth appearance in the winner's circle, has put away C$220,784 and returned $2.20 to win.

"He won the mid-season final last year, but he has never won any of the Gold legs," Gallucci said. "Hopefully, we've got a few more coming.

"He's a really special horse and he showed a little bit more grit today than what he has in the past. So, I was really happy."

Darling-owned-and-trained Control Rocks, a gelding by Control The Moment, won his C$90,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series event for 3-year-old male pacers by a head in 1:49 4/5 after he put up fractions of 26 3/5, 54 4/5 and 1:22 1/5 for driver Tyler Borth

"I feel this track is close to as fast as Mohawk sometimes," Borth said. "And he's been pacing in 1:49 at Mohawk. It doesn't surprise me that he was able to do it [today]."

Control Rocks, bred by Ben Mudry, won for the fifth time, has pocketed C$139,870 and paid $8.70 to win.

Darling said Control Rocks has been, "racing really well. He trained super this week and I expected a big effort from him."

Control Rocks was purchased by Darling for C$33,000 at the 2023 London Classic Yearling Sale.

"I had his brother [Tom Cruze Control] last year," Darling said. "He showed me some good speed, but he was lame. He didn't even race. So, I knew the horse had talent. When I saw the brother, I fell in love with him just from his looks."

--Ontario Sires Stakes quotes courtesy of the Ontario Sires Stakes--