High-percentage rookie Brandon Blvd is off to a flying start in 2026 as he gears up to take on a stacked three-year-old pacing male division on the road to the North America Cup.

The Andrew Harris-trained colt started his sophomore campaign with a dominant 1:51.1 victory in the Grade 3 Paul Revere Pace at Plainridge Park on May 2. Away fourth, regular reinsman Dexter Dunn brushed him to the lead on the backstretch, and Brandon Blvd kicked home in :28.1 to record the 2-3/4-length victory for Punisher 11 Stable LLC.

The $574,324 Lexington purchase showed speed and stamina throughout his freshman season, starting with a 1:49.3 clocking in the Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) at The Red Mile in his third start. He won three KYSS legs in a row, including a first-up effort on Aug. 17, then was second to Ubrute in two straight starts, including the KYSS final. Brandon Blvd then rattled off consecutive 1:49.1 Grand Circuit victories with a front-end score in the Bluegrass Stakes and a last-to-first triumph in the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile.

The son of Downbytheseaside-Alexis Faith proved to have even more in reserve. Two weeks later, in his elimination for the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park, he followed cover out of third on the final turn and sprinted for home, stopping the timer in 1:48.4 — making him the fastest two-year-old in Canadian history. 

The record lasted a week, as Beau Jangles sliced off a fifth of a second in the final, in which Brandon Blvd finished fourth to conclude his year. Brandon Blvd had a record of 10-7-2-0 at two and earned $538,419. He had two qualifiers at The Meadowlands in preparation for his Plainridge bow, one a place finish to Ubrute and the other a 1:51.3 win on April 24. He's since tightened with a 1:50.3 effort in a qualifier on May 15 in advance of his start this weekend in the $140,500 Somebeachsomewhere (Grade 3).

Listed as the 6-1 third choice in the TROT Magazine Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, Brandon Blvd has two giants ahead of him in dual Horse of the Year Beau Jangles and world champion Odds On Mr Mamba. Behind him are four Ron Burke trainees, with world champion Al Papi at the helm.

Harris recognizes the task ahead, heading into a sophomore season and an exceedingly deep crop fronted by Beau Jangles — the horse he considers the best he's seen since the great Somebeachsomewhere.

“We're going to have to see if he can beat those types. To me, the most impressive ones [at two] were obviously Beau [Jangles], and then Burke's quartet."

Trot Insider spoke with Harris on the season ahead for Brandon Blvd.

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

“We shut him down right after [the Breeders Crown], he was shipped to Kentucky the next day, and got two and a half months off. First week of January we shipped him back north and then started him back.”

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

“Three hundred pounds. He weighed in 300 pounds heavier, so he grew quite a bit. He’s got that Downbytheseaside blood in him, so he’s a pretty big horse now, and he wasn’t that big at two. He was a good-sized two-year-old; standing next to Beau [Jangles], I said to my guys ‘we brought a knife to a gunfight,’ because Beau’s gigantic. Now, my horse would be a lot closer to the size of Beau Jangles.”

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

“I don’t want to ship to Ohio before we go to the North America Cup. I’m trying to keep the shipping down to a minimum as much as possible. So ideally I’m going to skip all the Ohio and Kentucky stuff until a little later in the season and try and have him ready for the big races, because the horses he’s got to race against, he’s got to be 110 per cent every time. To put a bunch of miles on him to race for $65,000 doesn’t make a lot of sense just yet.”

What's his biggest asset / strength?

“I think his lungs; he’s got a big set of lungs, he can take a lot of air. He won seven races last year, and I think four of them were first-up, and one was from dead last. He just seems like he doesn’t get as tired; he may not be as fast as some of the other ones for a piece, but he takes a lot of air and he just keeps going.”

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

"When he started pacing in 1:49 regularly at two, it was easy to see he was going to be a player."

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 grew up in Canada, and the biggest race in Canada is the North America Cup, so it’s a dream race for me. Just to be a part of it is an amazing feeling, but just to be a part of it isn’t enough anymore. Those are the races I want to win, and I want to be able to sit on my rocking chair when I’m older and say I got a couple of them. So I’m thankful for the opportunity to have a horse like Brandon [Blvd] because he’s definitely going to give me a big shot at it.”

(Standardbred Canada)