Trainer Melanie Wrenn has one eligible for the 2026 Pepsi North America Cup: the returning fastest two-year-old of all time, Odds On Mr Mamba.

The son of Odds On Equuleus-Honky Tonk Woman went seven-for-eight as a two-year-old campaigning at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in Indiana. He was fourth in his career debut but came home in :25.1 and hasn’t been beaten since, winning three Indiana Sire Stakes (INSS) legs and the Super Final along with the Elevation by a half-length over Melillo. He first showed his Grand Circuit potential to Wrenn when he won his first INSS start in 1:49.2, equalling a Hoosier track record, but it was in the final preliminary leg of the INSS that the world was introduced to the Odds On Racing homebred.

Dexter Dunn sent the gelding to the front on the backstretch — the first time Odds On Mr Mamba led before three-quarters — and kept the pedal down to reach the third station in 1:21.4. Odds On Mr Mamba then showed his signature late motor, finishing in :26 to become the sport’s fastest two-year-old in 1:47.4. Through eight freshman starts, he had just one final quarter slower than :26.

“It was goosebumps when that timer went across,” Wrenn said. “It’s hard to believe, and I don’t think anybody believed it. It was really played down, because I feel like everybody that was watching it, even the announcer, (broadcaster) Gabe (Prewitt) — it took a minute to rewatch it several times and time it to believe that actually happened. Everybody was like ‘no way.' Literally the fastest two-year-old of all time just happened on a random night at Hoosier Park.”

Odds On Mr Mamba finished his rookie season with a 1:50.2 score in the INSS Super Final, upping his earnings to $436,552. The gelding qualified in 1:53.2 at Hoosier on April 29, tuning up for a campaign that is aimed at the Grand Circuit with potential clashes with dual Horse of the Year Beau Jangles on the horizon.

With her horse named the second choice at 4-1 in the TROT Magazine Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, Wrenn feels it’s a different ballgame this season.

“Last year was so much fun because it was all just a gift. Now this year, it’s pressure, this year it’s like expected of him, and we haven't even made it to the races yet," she said. "Everybody thinks he's going to be that. Dana (Parham of Odds On Racing) is very humble about all of this too, because Odds On Equuleus was a spectacular two-year-old, and then his three-year-old year was a bit of a letdown for him. So he's waiting, we're all waiting, to see how this horse is going to come back for his three-year-old year."

Trot Insider caught up with Wrenn ahead of her star gelding’s sophomore season, which is set to commence in Indiana Sires Stakes action on Monday, May 25 at Harrah's Hoosier Park.

Where did he winter and when did you start back with him?

“This year we were at Sunshine Meadows. He went down and we turned him out for probably six, seven weeks at a boarding farm in Florida, around Ocala, and we just let him kick his heels up, get out every day and get some good sunshine. We brought him in on the first of the year and started him back, and boom-boom-boom here we are, it’s almost time to go.”

Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?

“He’s grown a little. He’s just such a natural, there aren’t that many changes. At two, we were giving him time for the colt stuff here and there, and obviously that’s behind us. Knock on wood, everything’s going according to schedule this year."

What will his tentative early schedule look like leading up to the Pepsi North America Cup?

“He’ll potentially get one start before the Sire Stakes, but for sure he’s going to go in that first leg of the Indiana Sire Stakes (on May 25). And that’s going to say it all — are we going or aren’t we to the North America Cup?”

What does his tentative schedule look like after the North America Cup?

"I'm a little leery to get ahead of myself because we just don't know. There's so much expected of this colt this year because he did such great things last year. I think he's going to do it, but if he doesn't, he doesn't, and we're still going to have a great horse in Indiana. However we look at it, we've got a great horse in our barn, and it would be icing on the cake if we can go Grand Circuit and go head-to-head with those guys."

What's his biggest asset / strength?

“So far, he hasn’t gotten tired, I guess that’s pretty big. He’s such an easy keeper. He’s just a pleasure, you don’t even know he’s in the barn.”

At what point last year did you think this horse was North America Cup material?

“When he went in 1:49.2 — that was incredible. It was like ‘wow.’ Even still, you still don’t know. He had the one stakes race (the Elevation) against other horses, but he mostly just raced against his peers. But he did that all really easily, and that Dancingdreamer looked like he was amazing, and he is too, but we were able to beat him in our starts with him. We’ve got our fingers crossed for a fun year.”

As someone who hasn't won this race before, how does it feel to have a horse that appears to have a legit shot at the North America Cup?

"I thank Dana for leaving him with us and giving us a chance to campaign this horse, because he could've moved him to a Grand Circuit stable. He could've done that, with a horse of that calibre; I'm grateful he's given us a shot with this guy. I think he knows we give it our all. This is a huge opportunity for us and we're very excited about it."

(Standardbred Canada)