In a sophomore showdown for glory, prestige and a place in the history books, it was the diminutive Odds On Mr Mamba who came up huge in the 43rd edition of the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup (Grade 1) at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, June 13.
The pre-eminent North American event for three-year-old pacers once again showcased some of the sport’s brightest stars, adding another compelling chapter to its rich history in front of a packed house on a spectacular, stakes-laden evening at the Milton, Ont. oval.
James MacDonald, Canada's five-time O'Brien Award-winning Driver of the Year, worked out the winning trip for Indiana-based trainer Melanie Wrenn and owner Odds On Racing of Boca Raton, Florida.
No Waitlist (Doug McNair) and Al Papi (Yannick Gingras), leaving from post nine and post eight, respectively, blasted off the gate and looked to set the early tone, with the former landing the top spot, followed by insider Melillo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) in third and Beau Jangles (Bob McClure), the 3-5 choice who had his unbeaten string snapped at 15 in one of last week’s Cup eliminations. As outside starter Brandon Blvd (Dexter Dunn) crossed into fifth, Odds On Mr Mamba, second choice on the tote board, moved into sixth for MacDonald through an opening quarter in :26.1.
Beau Jangles was given his cue to carry on as Al Papi looped to the lead down the backstretch. Beau Jangles cleared ahead of a half in :54.1, with Al Papi, No Waitlist, Melillo and Brandon Blvd filling out the top five, while MacDonald and Odds On Mr Mamba remained sixth.
Brandon Blvd picked up the pursuit of Beau Jangles and began to ratchet up the pressure on the pacesetter, while Odds On Mr Mamba began to make inroads following the cover.
Beau Jangles held command past three-quarters in 1:21.1 as Brandon Blvd continued to grind away on the outside, while Odds On Mr Mamba roared onto the scene with a powerful outside burst, setting the stage for a scintillating stretch drive.
At the wire, Odds On Mr Mamba bested Brandon Blvd by a half-length. Beau Jangles finished a shade behind the runner-up in third. Al Papi crossed the wire in, fourth 1-1/2 lengths behind, while Melillo rounded out the top five. The final time was 1:48.1.
It was the first Cup crown for both MacDonald and Wrenn.
"I was so confident,” said MacDonald, who was making his seventh Cup appearance after picking up the catch-drive on the Wrenn trainee a week ago for his elimination victory. “I just thought the way the draw set up, I thought I was going to get a great trip, and it was a dream come true. I watched my brother [Mark] win this race with Sportswriter [in 2010], and I was at Kawartha Downs, never thinking I was ever going to do anything like this on this kind of stage. So, it's pretty special for me, and I'm just so thankful I got the drive, and so, so lucky to be here.
“I’m so proud of the horse, so happy for Melanie and the connections, and it's just time to party.”
Wrenn, who finished fourth with Odds On Osiris in the 2020 edition of the Cup, was in an equally celebratory mood.
“I was so nervous. I mean, I knew he was in a good spot at that point, but I mean, he was in with so many nice horses, and he's just amazing," said Wrenn. "I love him.
“I knew we were going to give it a heck of a try, and he never quits when they're coming to the wire,” continued Wrenn. “He's always gaining on them. So, we had a pretty good shot."
The win was the third in as many starts in 2026 for the bay gelding, who arrived at the North America Cup final off a gutsy neck victory in his Cup elimination race, a 1:48.2 mile paced last Saturday at Mohawk, following an Indiana Sires Stakes score in his season's debut at home on May 25.
Wrenn told Trot Insider at the 2026 Pepsi North America Cup Post Position Draw that MacDonald will drive Odds On Mr Mamba for his future stakes engagements.
Odds On Mr Mamba, who holds status as the fastest two-year-old in harness racing history, courtesy of a 1:47.4 mile on Oct. 2, 2025 at Hoosier Park, won the Indiana Sires Stakes Final and Elevation Stakes last year. He was the 4-1 second choice in TROT Magazine's Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book behind the Canadian and U.S. Horse of the Year Beau Jangles.
“It was something that we pointed this horse to, and but there's so many other good horses and so many other things that can go wrong,” said Dana Parham of Odds On Racing. “But for this year, it went right for us and maybe not quite perfect for some of the others.
"I do want to thank Pepsi and Mohawk for putting on this great event. I think they should be recognized, so I want to thank all of them.”
Bred by Odds On Nourrir of Boca Raton, Florida, Odds On Mr Mamba (Odds On Equuleus-Honky Tonk Woman) has won 10 of his 11 career starts with his earnings soaring to $1,028,219.
His sire, Odds On Equuleus, finished ninth in the 2013 North America Cup and finished his racing career with 20 wins, $938,225 in purse earnings and a mark of 1:47.3 taken at The Meadowlands.
The win payout on Odds On Mr Mamba was $6.10 for a $2 ticket.
A new wagering record of $687,448 on the North America Cup race was set, eclipsing the previous record of $681,000 in 2015.
A replay of PrimeTime Racing's coverage of the North America Cup card is available below.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine)
Odds On Mr. Mamba
The first weekly USTA Top 10 Poll will be released on Tuesday, and polls will continue every Tuesday through late November. Based on his 2 performances at Mohawk, I don't know why anyone would not give Odds On Mr. Mamba a first-place vote.