The connections of 10 horses enter Saturday's C$1,000,000 G1 North America Cup with the hope of taking home the trophy in the 43rd edition of the historic pacing classic. While some will have you believe that a bit of the luster was taken off this race by three of the top contenders meeting in the elimination round, to me that race only helps to heighten the anticipation for what could be a redemption story or the crowning of a new King in the 3-year-old male pacing division. The scene for the June 13 North America Cup final was set one week prior when the then-undefeated Beau Jangles met up with the fastest 2-year-old in history Odds On Mr Mamba and multiple stakes winner Brandon Blvd. The big three all settled in through the opening quarter, with Brandon Blvd perhaps slightly more stressed in finding his seat along the pylons but not extended. The race truly took shape well past the 26 2/5 opening quarter and approaching the 54 1/5 half put on the board by Gentleman's Club. That Beau Jangles was the first to pull before the half was no surprise. That driver Bob McClure elected to ask his horse to rush up and then idle to the outside of the leader rather than trying to brush or get separation was a bit curious to these eyes. In essence this gave Beau Jangles a first-over trip while towing the fresher Brandon Blvd on his back and Odds On Mr Mamba from third-over into the race. With a third quarter of just 27 seconds, it would be a sprint to the wire and if there is anything we have learned in harness racing's biggest stakes events over the years, any horse can out-sprint another on any given night. But this was also a sprint where Beau Jangles had the most difficult trip and would be at a disadvantage in the late stages. ► READ INSIDER STAKES SELECTIONS & ANALYSIS One has to wonder what the outcome would've been if McClure drove on. Could he have gotten around Andrew McCarthy behind Gentleman's Club? Conversely, what if the advancement on the rim was more measured, keeping his foes further back while not asking Beau Jangles for third quarter speed? Hindsight is of course 20/20 and Beau Jangles is no worse for his elimination experience since he drew perfectly in post five for the final. Not so fortunate was Brandon Blvd, who arguably got the best trip on cover and came up a neck shy of victory, subjecting him to the open draw and the misfortune of starting from post 10 on Saturday. Statistically, the outside post assignment is a death sentence as just 2.9% of 205 starters have overcome the spot in 2026. That is compared to the 18.7% for post five or 8.7% for post three where Odds On Mr Mamba will begin. It is worth noting that Madden Oaks almost overcame post 10 in the 2025 North America Cup at huge odds. So, is there hope for Brandon Blvd? Not if you turn to North America Cup history as that post has never sent out a winner in 28 starts since 1994. Interestingly, 26 of the 32 winners during that period started from posts two through six. Getting back to the elimination race for a moment, the big three all turned in fine performances, but they all come into the final with questions to answer: Is Beau Jangles the powerhouse that won 15 straight races and dominated or now just on par with his peers? Can Brandon Blvd overcome post 10 when he came up short off a perfect elimination trip? Will the connections of Odds On Mr Mamba cure the extreme stretch drift he displayed in the elimination? ► GET FREE PPS & ANALYSIS FOR SATURDAY’S NORTH AMERICA CUP CARD While some are treating the North America Cup contender list as containing just the above threesome, that would be grossly unfair to elimination winner Sweet Lovin Lou. Here we have a 9-2 third choice in the morning line (Beau Jangles is 7-5, Odds On Mr Mamba 9-5 and Brandon Blvd 8-1) despite pacing the fastest elimination mile (1:48 2/5) and doing it while first-over. Although Sweet Lovin Lou admittedly fell short of the accolades of the other three as a 2-year-old, it's fair to say that he's caught up to some extent, judging by his 2026 efforts. Whether the contender list ends there is open to interpretation. Melillo (15-1) is already a 1:48 4/5 winner this year (Harrah's Philadelphia on May 24) but was soundly defeated in his elimination and post one hasn't won this race since 1994. Stablemate Al Papi (20-1, post eight) was a 1:48 1/5 winner as a 2-year-old and a good second in his elimination after setting honest fractions (26 3/5, 54 1/5, 1:20 4/5) before succumbing to Sweet Lovin Lou. He has 25-second gate speed and could certainly be heard from during the mile. As could No Waitlist 25-1, post nine), who lacks staying power at the elite level but is as fast as any horse in the field off the wings of the gate. There is also Azrael Blue Chip (20-1, post seven), who couldn't deliver on a live cover trip from Sweet Lovin Lou in his elimination but has displayed a strong burst of speed in the past. The bottom rung on the North America Cup totem pole finds Redland Rocket Man (25-1, post two) and Lindy Dragonwater (25-1, post six). The former has only been able to get small checks thus far in 2026 and the latter similarly hasn't done much to whet the appetite of handicappers. Before jumping into potential pace scenarios and other handicapping thoughts, let's take a moment to list fair odds as I see them for the final. Below is the field with morning line and how they compare to my goal odds for making a wager. Post-Horse-Driver-M/L-Fair Odds 1-Melillo-Ronnie Wrenn Jr.-20-1-25-1 2-Redland Rocket Man-Louis Roy-25-1-75-1 3-Odds On Mr Mamba-James MacDonald-9-5-2-1 4-Sweet Lovin Lou-Scott Zeron-9-2-7-2 5-Beau Jangles-Bob McClure-7-5-7-5 6-Lindy Dragonwater-Jason Bartlett-25-1-75-1 7-Azrael Blue Chip-Andy McCarthy-20-1-40-1 8-Al Papi-Yannick Gingras-20-1-20-1 9-No Waitlist-Doug McNair-25-1-25-1 10-Brandon Blvd-Dexter Dunn-8-1-6-1 AE-Wholetthedogsout-Mark MacDonald              As you can see, the lower-priced horses fall pretty much in line with the track odds, which means they did a good job, somewhat of a rarity nowadays. The longshots are way off, but that is to be expected as tracks never want to "piss off" owners by basically screaming out loud that their horses don't have a chance. Earlier, we mentioned a couple of likely early speed players on the outside of the gate, and that can certainly play a role in how the North America Cup will unfold on the track. If both Al Papi and No Waitlist fire off the gate, and for my money that seems likely, where does that leave Brandon Blvd from post 10? Additionally, does that force Beau Jangles to work harder than he would like to make the front? I simply don't see a scenario where Beau Jangles isn't on the lead at some point between the three-eighths and half. Given that and Odds On Mr Mamba's propensity to race from off-the-pace, where does that leave the freaky-fast gelding and driver James MacDonald? Do they try to brush first to get the jump on Beau Jangles or accept the fate of a potential first-over trip? Although the North America Cup goes through Beau Jangles from my perspective, what I find most interesting are the potential scenarios and possible odds for Sweet Lovin Lou. If driver Scott Zeron, who doesn't have the nickname "The Money Man" for nothing, elects to move before Beau Jangles, he could be sitting in his pocket with a big chance to win. If he plays it more patient, the possibility of landing on Odds On Mr Mamba's cover is very real. While other pace layouts could develop, each of those are logical and very enticing on a horse that will be no worse than third choice at post time. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter So, while I do respect the possibility that either Odds On Mr Mamba or Beau Jangles could simply come up with a other-worldly mile and post a 1:47 or lower stakes-record performance, Sweet Lovin Lou looks like the better value bet unless the final odds tell a different story than what I expect. As far as Brandon Blvd, I really couldn't fault anyone for taking a chance on him at 6-1 or higher, but I'd want minimum 12-1 because the inner mechanics of the race probably won't favor him, and he'd need a monster effort to overcome the post. I do favor Al Papi as an exotics player in the field at what should be 20-1 or higher. Even though he couldn't handle Sweet Lovin Lou last time, he did plenty of work and posted a 1:48 3/5 mile in his first big-track start of the season. That performance could provide a foundation for him to move forward to the 1:47 and change range this week. Regardless of where you land in the North America Cup, it figures to be a great race. Carded as the 11th of 13 programmed events on the card which starts at 6:35 P.M. (EDT), it is just one of five stakes finals on Saturday. There are also Invitationals on the pace and trot for older horses and a pair of $100,000 guaranteed Pick 5 pools (Races 1-5 and 7-11). Whether you make it to the track, watch it online or check out the action via Fox Sports from 8-11 P.M., it is must-see Standardbred racing for fans and bettors alike.