Harness: Brandon Blvd stood tall in North America Cup

From politics to harness racing, alternative views are part of the landscape. Two people can listen to the same politician or watch the same race and come away with a completely different opinion on what occurred.

At the conclusion of the G1 North America Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 13, I stood in the winner's circle as praise was rightfully extolled upon the deserving winner Odds On Mr Mamba. The Indiana-bred son of Odds On Equuleus left his home state for the first time in his career and did everything that was asked of him, winning both his elimination and the final of the Cup while planting himself as the top dog in the 3-year-old male pacing division.

As the celebration continued, my focus quickly shifted to Brandon Blvd and trainer Andrew Harris. His horse lost by just a half-length despite what was far and away the worst trip in the field. While any argument that Odds On Mr Mamba shouldn't be ranked No. 1 among his peers is foolish, Brandon Blvd turned in the most-impressive performance in the Cup Final by far.

"If they don't have faith in him now...he's as tough as they come. It doesn't matter what trip you give him, he's going to be right there. He's just an incredible animal," said Harris.

With Driver Dexter Dunn in the bike, Brandon Blvd was on the move well before the half - towing Odds On Mr Mamba into the race on his cover - and engaged leader Beau Jangles on the final turn. At the head of the stretch the two were deadlocked in battle and remained that way right through the wire when Odds On Mr Mamba powered past Brandon Blvd and Beau Jangles in 1:48 1/5.

"I knew that he wouldn't quit, so I knew it was going to be close, but I also didn't like that Odds On Mr Mamba was on my back," said Harris about whether he thought Brandon Blvd could win at the head of the stretch. "When Odds On Mr Mamba's sitting on your back and you know how fast he comes home, you're like, 'oh, this is going to be tough.' I knew he'd fight Beau Jangles, but the other one's so quick and he's getting a perfect trip. I had a sneaky feeling that one was getting too good of a trip."

But let's back up for a minute.

Beau Jangles allowed the outside speed to take position before making his move to the front between the 26 1/5 opening quarter and 54 1/5 half. If the connections of Beau Jangles mapped it out on paper, that is the exact scenario they had to be hoping for in the final. The three-quarters was reasonable in 1:21 1/5 but hardly taxing considering that the fractions last year when Louprint won were 26, 53 1/5 and 1:19. The times were very comparable to 2024 when a nearly identical setup (26 1/5, 54 1/5 and 1:21 2/5) produced a cover-trip victory for Njinsky in the Cup.

We could debate whether Beau Jangles or Odds On Mr Mamba, who wasn't stressed early but only saw the pylons for a few strides at the quarter pole before gaining cover, got the better trip, but there is no denying that Brandon Blvd had to work harder than the rest. It was a gutsy performance that indeed turned a frown upside down.

Just a few days before the race, at the Tuesday post parade draw, a visibly-dejected Harris made his way to the podium for an interview having just found out Brandon Blvd was saddled with the worst draw. On Saturday, following the gigantic performance from his trainee, the mood was much different.

"This is the happiest I've ever been when I lost," said Harris, who discussed the earlier disappointment. "It definitely takes the wind out of your sails. You're all excited that you made the final and your horse raced great. Then they give you post 10 and you see your two main rivals draw three and five. They're two of the winningest posts, and you're just like, 'yeah, that sucks.' But in Dex [Dunn] we trust. The guy's just a master."

Despite the outcome of the North America Cup, it is difficult to walk away from the race feeling confident about how the division will play out in races like the Meadowlands Pace, Adios, Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown down the road. The top three appear to have some separation on the field but at this point none of them appear to be Somebeachsomewhere, and it remains to be seen if any of them are even in the Louprint or Captaintreachous range in terms of 3-year-old performance.

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That the North America Cup went in the same time - 1:48 1/5 - as the Fan Hanover for the 3-year-old fillies certainly doesn't look great for the boys, though maybe Loua Dipa and Be Perfect Bg, who finished a head apart, are simply special. By the same token, Miki And Minnie won the older mares race in 1:48 1/5 and Ervin Hanover won the Mohawk Gold Cup for older horses in just 1:48 2/5, so maybe the track was simply slow that night. It is hard to imagine that on a night when some of the best pacers in North America were competing, the fastest time on the card of 1:48 was set by Crack Shot in an overnight race. Though he is a talented 4-year-old with credentials.

It is also worth considering that in 2024 when Nijinsky won in 1:48 1/5, the Mohawk Gold Cup went to Linedrive Hanover in 1:47 2/5 and It's A Love Thing won the Fan Hanover in 1:48 2/5. So, maybe the 3-year-old boys and girls going in the same time isn't a big deal and the older group of horses just weren't on their games on June 13.

Speaking of the track, any consideration of the stakes results should include some discussion about track bias. Although there was a stretch headwind throughout the night, it definitely died down by the midway point of the 13-race card. I'm not sure what role the wind played on the outcome of the races, but none of the seven major races - five stakes finals and two Invitationals - were won by the horse on the lead at the three-quarter call. In fact, the closest any winner got at that call was third. Plus, five of the seven winners won from second- or third-over. To say that is uncommon in this day and age where early speed is dominant would be a massive understatement.

Perhaps that makes Beau Jangles' mile in the North America Cup a little more appealing and also flatters the speed efforts from Be Perfect Bg and Lou Hill, who both suffered narrow losses. Ultimately, we'll find out more in the coming weeks. The next battleground for the 3-year-old male pacers is the Meadowlands Pace, with eliminations (if necessary) set for July 4 and the final on July 11. We could see Beau Jangles perhaps at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 27 for a leg of the Ontario Sire Stakes and Odds On Mr Mamba has a leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes at Harrah's Hoosier Park one night earlier if his connections are interested, but Brandon Blvd will be on the sidelines.

"He won't race until the Meadowlands Pace. He'll get a much-deserved week off here and get freshened up, because I'm sure that was a taxing trip on him," said Harris. "Those are three horses that are going to battle all year, and it's going to be fun because I don't think there's a lot that separates all three."

North America Cup Night News and Notes

Trainer Andrew Harris also said that Yo Tillie scratched out of the Armbro Flight because she tied up. The issue first occurred when she was warming up for a qualifier on June 6 at the Meadowlands. Harris said after considering her bloodwork numbers, the toll of shipping up to Canada and the fact that her next three races would be at the Meadowlands that it didn't make sense to subject her to the trip.

"It sucks that she's not up here. I would have loved to have her up here, but I also want her to be a hundred percent," said Harris, who added that Yo Tillie might qualify this weekend at the Meadowlands (she is in race 17 on Friday morning).

Trainer Marcus Melander has had the hot hand lately, winning the Goodtimes with Neighver Punt and Armbro Flight with Bourbonista S at Woodbine Mohawk Park on June 13 and four stakes at the Meadowlands the night before. On the Friday card his victories included a track record-equaling mile by Super Chapter in 1:49 3/5 and a world record of 1:50 by Nix Nacken.

When expressing my surprise by how aggressively Super Chapter was handled in his 4-year-old debut, Melander said that he gave no instructions to driver Dexter Dunn. "I just told him that he was ready to race," said the trainer.

As for the world record by Nix Nacken, Melander said it was a perfect storm in that the track got just enough rain to make the surface ultra-fast. He added that you can water the track all day but it doesn't measure up to the rain.

Trainer Chris Ryder kept his streak alive for Roses Are Red wins. His Twin B Joe Fresh won the race in 2024 and 2025. She tired after a first-over trip on June 13, but stablemate Miki And Minnie was able to get the job done. Former Dan Patch Award winner Twin B Joe Fresh hasn't been able to shine in two starts this year since returning from injury. When I asked Ryder about her, he simply responded, "I haven't been able to figure her out yet this year."

Something new on the North America Cup wagering menu was a $5 All-Stakes Pick 3 wager. While the concept of higher minimums are more of a throwback to decades ago rather than a new idea, it was nice to see the variety added to the menu. The wager did reasonably well with $26,437 in Canadian dollars sent through the windows, making it the second-largest Pick 3 pool of the night (they have rolling Pick 3s). That amount shows there is an appetite for a higher minimum option and hopefully more tracks will experiment with it. I know at least one track is planning a similar option.