Records came down and cheers went up from the crowd as Grand River Raceway hosted its annual Industry Day on Monday, Aug. 4. An all-age record for the Elora, Ont. five-eighths-mile track was set in one of two blazing Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings, while a pair of standout Ontario-sired two-year-old pacers stamped their names into Battle of the Belles and Battle of Waterloo history each with Canadian record miles.
Undefeated Beau Jangles established a new divisional track record for two-year-old male pacers in the fastest ever Battle of Waterloo. The undefeated colt put up scorching times winning the race in 1:51.
The $227,100 Battle of Waterloo, presented by Winbak Farm, went forward with a field of eight colts and geldings, no eliminations required.
Beau Jangles (pictured above) and driver Bob McClure left aggressively, with Tilthecowscomehome (Jody Jamieson) and three-wide D A Lets Dance (Doug McNair) to his outside, as Borderline Mobby (James MacDonald) sat fourth behind them. McNair's 51-1 longshot made front before the :26.3 opening quarter, but quickly faced first-over pressure from Titlthecowscomehome, shadowed by second-over 2-5 favourite Beau Jangles, who made front after a brief three-wide move.
Beau Jangles led to the half in :55, keeping just ahead of Tilthecowscomehome as No Waitlist (Jordan Stratton) brushed into first-over third along the backstretch. He maintained a length and a half lead at three-quarters, which he reached in 1:23.3.
No Waitlist backed down on the final turn, while Tilthecowscomehome gained ground down the stretch but could not catch McClure's powerful 1:51 winner. Dax Seelster (Trevor Henry) closed well for show.
McClure praised Beau Jangles in the winner's circle: "I don't think I've come into a Grand Circuit race with the confidence that I had in this guy. You know, he really hasn't even been tested yet. In his very first start, I took it easy on him, not knowing where the bottom was. I turned it into a bit of a sprint and he out-sprinted them home. In his second start, he had to really work to get there, and it almost played in his favour: He's so big and strong that he just drove away from them."
Beau Jangles (Cattlewash-Mrs Major Hill) is trained by Dr. Ian Moore and is owned by Graham Grace Stables of Clifton, Virginia, Kiwi Stables of La Plata, Maryland and Bolton Stables of Clermont, Florida. He was bred by Tara Hills Stud of Port Perry, Ont.
The mark of 1:51 lowered the previous Canadian record for two-year-old pacing colts on a five-eighths-mile racetrack of 1:51.3, established by Falcons Future at Mohawk Raceway in 1993.
In the $153,000 Battle of the Belles final, fans witnessed a dominant record-setting performance from 3-2 favourite Daya and driver Jody Jamieson. The Jack Darling trainee was sent by Jamieson to challenge the leader near the :54.4 half and she opened up by more than four lengths before three-quarters, which she reached all alone in 1:22.1. Lavender Seelster (Paul MacKenzie) edged out TH Check Me Out (James MacDonald) for place, both well behind the 1:50.4 winner.
Daya lowered Romantic Beauty's 1:52.2 track record for two-year-old filly pacers, set in that rival's Battle of the Belles elimination. The homebred daughter of Bulldog Hanover-Beach Of A Time is owned by Jack Darling Stables of Cambridge, Ont. She has won three of her four seasonal starts, earning $127,600, finishing second in the second Ontario Sires Stakes Gold leg at Mohawk on July 17 before rebounding to win her July 28 Battle of the Belles elim in 1:53.3.
Afterward, Jamieson gave full credit to Daya for the dominating performance.
"Well, I don't think that anybody expects a 1:50.4 mile at any time from a two-year-old pacing filly, at any point in the year, really," he said. "Obviously, they go fast — they're going faster and faster earlier each year — but it's pretty hard to expect. I moved her here, in front of the grandstand, just to make sure that I was in no trouble, and I just let her pace, and holy crap did she ever pace... 1:22.1 [to three-quarters] and I never spoke to her the rest of the way. I just kept her pacing to the wire... She's a special filly and Jack's believed in her all the way."
The 1:50.4 clocking lowered the Canadian record for two-year-old pacing fillies of 1:51.2 established by Percy Bluechip at Georgian Downs in 2017.
Jen Tilly's fourth-place finish in the Belles propelled her trainer Scott McEneny's career earnings over the $20 million milestone mark.
In the second Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event on the undercard, Allstar Maniac was able to grind his way past determined front-runner Sterling Choice to win by a half-length over the latter in 1:49 to establish the fastest mile in Grand River history, just after Control Rocks paced the first sub-1:50 mile in the track's history in the first division.
James MacDonald orchestrated Allstar Maniac's victory for trainer Nick Gallucci and owner George Millar of Stouffville, Ont. The driver said he was pleased to be sitting in the pocket for most of the mile as Sterling Choice (Billy Davis Jr.) put up fractions of :25.4, :54 and 1:21.3.
“I loved the fractions,” said MacDonald. “I thought it might set up a little bit like that.”
Coming off the final turn, MacDonald said he was confident Allstar Maniac — a son of All Bets Off out of Shes A Maniac — would get past Sterling Choice.
“He was on the right line in the last turn,” said MacDonald. “So, I had to wait until we straightened up. But, when I called on him, he took off again.”
SOS Sports Bet (Doug McNair) was third, followed by Boxer Seelster (Trevor Henry) and Blue Bar (Travis Cullen) in the field of six. Allstar Maniac was the favourite and paid $2.20.
Asked about the sophomore pacing colt division that includes Control Rocks, Pepsi North America Cup finalist Crack Shot, Set Shot and more, MacDonald said, “Tyler [Borth’s] horse [Control Rocks] was terrific today. I thought Crack Shot was the one to beat in the last division and Tyler just showed how deep the field is. Sterling Choice went a big mile today, too. So, you just never know who is going to step up from day to day.
“I don’t think there was ever any doubt about how great the Ontario Sires Stakes program is. Just look at last year’s N.A. Cup winner and you see [star Ontario-sired horses] a lot more nowadays. I think the great horses come from everywhere and a lot of them are coming from Canada.”
Gallucci said his partner Karoline Nielsen picked out Allstar Manic, who was bred by Allstar Farms of Millbank, Ont.
“She found him and picked him out,” said Gallucci. “She loved his video and he fit the part when we looked at him at the [London Classic Yearling] sale. We told George we liked him and when George is bidding you’re usually coming home with the horse.”
Millar purchased Allstar Maniac for $70,000. The gelding has now earned $220,784 lifetime with a record of 5-1-4 in 12 starts. The gelding is 3-0-2 in five starts this year with earnings of $81,320.
Monday's victory was Allstar Maniac’s first Gold score.
“He won the Mid-Season final last year, but he has never won any of the Gold legs,” said Gallucci. “Hopefully, we’ve got a few more coming.
“He’s a really special horse and he showed a little bit more grit today than what he has in the past. So, I was really happy.”
Tyler Borth piloted Control Rocks to the wire-to-wire victory for owner/trainer Jack Darling of Cambridge, Ont. in the first division. The gelded son of Control The Moment out of Katie Rocks, sent off at 3-1, defeated a field of five a little over two weeks after setting a career-best 1:49.2 mile at Mohawk in his last start.
Borth said he wasn’t surprised Control Rocks was a 1:49.4 winner on Monday.
“I feel this track is close to as fast as Mohawk sometimes,” said Borth. “And he’s been pacing in [1]:49 at Mohawk. It doesn’t surprise me that he was able to do it [today].”
Control Rocks paid $8.70 and defeated favourite Crack Shot (Doug McNair) by a head. Docs Buddy (Louis-Philippe Roy), Set Shot (Bob McClure) and Aquinas Hanover (Jody Jamieson) picked up the final cheques in that order.
Darling said Control Rocks has been “racing really well. He trained super this week and I expected a big effort from him.”
Bred by Ben Mudry of Toronto, Ont., Control Rocks was purchased by Darling for $33,000 at the 2023 London Classic Yearling Sale.
“I had his brother [Tom Cruze Control] last year,” said Darling. “He showed me some good speed, but he was lame. He didn’t even race. So, I knew the horse had talent. When I saw the brother, I fell in love with him just from his looks.”
Control Rocks raced just once as a two-year-old. Darling said the pacer was sick last year and it ended up costing Control Rocks the entire season of racing. His career record now stands at 5-3-1 in 12 starts, with earnings of $139,870.
“The nice thing is he was never hurt [last year],” said Darling.
A trifecta of Preferreds were part of the Industry Day undercard. Shoot The Whiskey ($6) kicked off the card with a wire-to-wire 1:52 tally for driver Travis Cullen and trainer Jodie Cullen in a $20,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred 2 Pace.
Wire-to-wire was also the winning formula for Gold Edition ($6.90) in the $20,000 Preferred 2 Trot, winning in 1:55 for driver Samuel Fillion and trainer Blair Burgess.
Lamborghini Lou ($5.70) motored home off cover to deliver as the favourite in the $20,000 Preferred 2 Pace, winning in 1:52.1 for driver Tyler Borth and trainer Don Lindsey.
The handle for the 11-race card was $492,416.
To view Monday's harness racing results, click the following link: Monday Results - Grand River Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada with files from Grand River Raceway & Ontario Racing)