Woodbine Mohawk Park: Beau Jangles headlines 2-year-old Breeders Crown eliminations

Undefeated Canadian pacing sensation Beau Jangles, ranked No. 5 in the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll, will lead the way Friday (Oct. 17) when seven $25,000 (USD) Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-olds are contested at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Beau Jangles will be among 58 freshmen competing in Friday’s eliminations. Four 2-year-olds will advance directly to their finals: male trotter Apex, thanks to his victory in the Peter Haughton Memorial; Atlantic Summer, courtesy of her win in the Jim Doherty Memorial; and bye recipients Daya and Seaside Shuffle in the event for rookie female pacers. The byes were offered based on earnings.

All 2-year-old Breeders Crown finals, each with a purse of $700,000, will be held Oct. 24 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Elimination winners, as well as Apex and Atlantic Summer, will draw for post positions one through six in their respective finals. All other finalists will be placed in an open draw for the remaining post positions.

Breeders Crown eliminations for horses ages 3 and up will be Saturday. Racing begins at 6:35 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Sixteen freshman male pacers were entered in this year’s Breeders Crown, presented by Toyo Tires and TreadXperts, requiring two eight-horse eliminations. The top five finishers from each elim will advance to the final.

Beau Jangles, a perfect 10-for-10 this season for trainer Ian Moore and driver Bob McClure, will leave from post two in the second elimination. The son of Cattlewash-Mrs Major Hill won the Grade 1 Metro Pace on Sept. 20 at Mohawk and captured his Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final this past Saturday over the same oval. The colt has earned $866,130 ($1.19 million CAD).

Frantic Hanover, a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion who finished second to Beau Jangles in the Metro, will start from post three in the same elim. The Ron Burke trainee will have Tim Tetrick in the sulky. Burke will also send out Kentucky Sire Stakes champ Ubrute in the same elimination, leaving from post seven.

New York Sire Stakes and Big Apple male pace champion Fragment will start from post four in the other elimination for the male pacers, with Jason Bartlett driving for trainer Per Engblom. Grand Circuit winners Brandon Blvd, with Dexter Dunn driving for Andrew Harris, and Al Papi, with Yannick Gingras driving for Burke, will leave from posts one and two, respectively. Al Papi became the all-time fastest freshman pacing colt with his 1:48 1/5 victory in his most recent race, a division of the International Stallion on Oct.4 at The Red Mile.

Twelve 2-year-old filly pacers were entered in the Breeders Crown, which will go with one elimination from which the top eight finishers will join Daya and Seaside Shuffle in the final.

Burke-trained speedster Loua Dipa, the fastest freshman filly in history after her 1:48 win in a division of the International Stallion Stakes on Oct. 3 at The Red Mile, will leave from post six with driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. She also counts the Grade 1 She’s A Great Lady among her victories, which she captured in a Canadian-record 1:49 1/5 in September at Mohawk. The field also includes Grand Circuit winner I’m A Lou Lou and Ontario Super Final runner-up She’s A Bulldog, also both members of the Burke Brigade.

Fourteen 2-year-old male trotters were entered in the Breeders Crown, with two eliminations on tap Friday. Thirteen of the freshmen will compete in the elims, with the top four finishers from each split plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest earnings as calculated by Standardbred Canada advancing to join Apex in the final.

Grade 1 Mohawk Million runner-up (behind Apex) and Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series winner Endurance will compete in the second elim and leave from post one with Andy McCarthy at the lines for trainer Chris Beaver. Mr Big Spender, coming off a 1:51 2/5 win for trainer Norm Parker on Sept. 25 in a division of the Bluegrass, equaling the second-fastest mile ever by a freshman trotting colt, will start from post six in the other elimination.

Marcus Melander trainees Nix Nacken (post six, second elim) and Spencer Hanover (post two, first elim) are both heading into Friday’s action off victories. Nix Nacken won a division of the International Stallion Stakes and Spencer Hanover won the Big Apple male trot at Vernon Downs in a track-record 1:52 3/5.

Twenty freshman trotting fillies were entered in the Breeders Crown, requiring two eliminations. Nineteen of the fillies will compete in the elims, with the top four finishers from each split plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest earnings as calculated by Standardbred Canada advancing to join Atlantic Summer in the final.

Bingo Night, fresh off her Ontario Super Final triumph last week, will start from post five for driver Tyler Jones and trainer Dustin Jones in the second elimination. She finished second in the Grade 1 Peaceful Way on Aug. 23 at Mohawk. Melander-trained Nezuko Kamado S brings a three-race win streak to the elim and will leave from post one. Her triumphs include the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes and Big Apple filly trot.

The other elimination finds Ohio Sire Stakes champion and Kentucky Championship Series runner-up Setyoursightshigh starting from post four with Dunn listed to drive for Melander. Southwind Chaska, with three straight Grand Circuit scores for trainer Jim Oscarsson, will leave from post three with driver Tim Tetrick. She is the season’s fastest trotting filly, with a mark of 1:51 4/5.