A clash of the undefeated titans is coming to Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, Sept. 20.
When the heavyweight duo of Frantic Hanover and Beau Jangles – each perfect through seven starts thus far – line up behind the starting gate for the $1 million Metro Pace, a lucrative payday is not all that hangs in the balance.
As each aims to hand the other his first defeat, determining which horse will fill each role makes for a nearly impossible task. The tale of the tape for both pacing powerhouses is undeniably outstanding.
Slotting into post two for trainer Ron Burke, Frantic Hanover stands poised for the opportunity ahead.
“He’s doing great,” said Burke, a U.S. Hall of Fame trainer and winner of nearly 16,200 races lifetime. “He's a pretty simple horse, and I seem to find most of the good ones are simple horses.”
The bay son of Stay Hungry-Francessa currently holds the title of fastest two-year-old in North America this year after stopping the clock in 1:49.1 to win the $410,959 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final at Harrah's Philadelphia on Sept. 5.
Frantic Hanover carried the momentum from his landmark score into last Saturday’s Metro elim, completing a 3-1/4-length triumph in 1:49.4 with driver Tim Tetrick in tow.
“He did it very easily and Timmy's done a great job,” said Burke. "[Tetrick] is racing him from every angle, every way, so the horse has multiple experiences. That's great coming into a race like this when you've never been tired, and you know how to do it from any way.”
The latest in a long line of brilliant performances didn’t reveal anything new to Burke and company about their prized pacer; instead, it only validated what they already knew.
“It was probably three weeks ago when we said we have to quit talking about him being good – he may be great," said Burke. "He was starting to do things other horses can't do.
“That’s when we said to ourselves, ‘That’s special.’”
In the leadup to Frantic Hanover’s tallest task to date, the rookie sensation can certainly find calm in his U.S. Hall of Fame reinsman.
“Timmy’s a great driver,” said Burke. “I've always said he may go down as the greatest driver in the history of the sport when it’s all said and done. He has a great resume, and we have all the confidence in him doing the right things every time.”
What is the recipe for success on Saturday?
“I think he just has to race his race and we're going to find out how good the other colts are,” said Burke. “I don't worry about him coming up bad. The only worry really is that there might be somebody else better, but we're going to find out and we’ll go from there.”
That thrill of competition at its highest level is second to none, noted Burke, whose Burke Racing Stable co-owns the colt with Brad Grant, Knox Services and Weaver Bruscemi.
“It’s fun,” he said. “I hope for your best and my best, and my best is better than your best.”
And the best of Canadian Hall of Fame conditioner Dr. Ian Moore is exactly what awaits Burke, Tetrick and Frantic Hanover in the form of even-money morning line favourite Beau Jangles.
The Cattlewash colt out of the Art Major mare Mrs Major Hill has forged an equally impressive path to Saturday night’s Grade 1 battle following modest beginnings.
“Training down, he was a nice colt, but not spectacular,” said Moore.
That, however, didn’t dampen the versatile horseman’s outlook on a green Beau Jangles.
“A lot of the decent colts I've had in recent years have been that way,” said Moore. “Take Prince Hal Hanover, one of the top three-year-olds this year, for example. He was just an okay colt until it came time to qualify, and then things changed.”
Beau Jangles was no different.
“This guy graduated to the top three-set of colts that I had in April,” said Moore of the $90,278 Standardbred Horse Sale purchase. “I drove [Beau Jangles] in the first qualifier, and he went a 26-second final quarter without any asking. I just took him to the back, sat with him, and he came :54 on the end, which is pretty impressive at any point in time, let alone the first qualifier.”
After one more qualifier, Beau Jangles immediately leapt into Ontario Sires Stakes competition. He currently leads the Gold Series two-year-old pacing colt division with four win for owners Graham Grace Stables, Kiwi Stables and Bolton Stables.
The first-year phenom’s marked growth has been a sincere source of pride for his veteran trainer.
“He's been a pleasure to be around,” said Moore. “We've been so fortunate to have a colt like him this year, and as each race has gone along, he has seemed to have gotten more mature and a lot more classy about how he handles things and what he does with everyday life.”
That rapid maturation has served Beau Jangles well, most recently in his Metro elim – a front-stepping 1-3/4-length victory in 1:49.3 – also on Sept. 13 at Mohawk.
“Last week and prior races, every time he stepped on the track, he's been a very professional, business-like animal – he knows what he's there for,” said Moore. “We were hoping he had a bit more speed than he's already shown, and I learned last week that he does… I'm hoping he's not done yet.”
Moore, like Burke, relishes the chance to match strides with the division’s finest.
“Frantic Hanover, boy, did he look pretty impressive the other day as well. I love that breed [Stay Hungry]. I think it’s going to be a heck of a horse race with those two.”
While all eyes are on the marquee duo, eight others will vie to steal the spotlight.
All will be decided under the lights at 9:47 p.m. The full field is listed below.
$1 million Metro Pace (Grade 1)
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line Odds
1. Superchamp Hanover - Matt Kakaley - Travis Alexander - 15-1
2. Frantic Hanover - Tim Tetrick - Ron Burke - 6-5
3. Al Papi - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke - 12-1
4. Tilthecowscomehome - Jody Jamieson - Carl Jamieson - 15-1
5. Beau Jangles - Bob McClure - Dr. Ian Moore - 1-1
6. No Waitlist - Scott Zeron - Blake MacIntosh - 25-1
7. Redland Rocket Man - Louis-Philippe Roy - John Pentland - 25-1
8. Sweet Lovin Lou - James MacDonald - Dan Lagace - 20-1
9. Fragment - Jason Bartlett - Per Engblom - 20-1
10. Stingray Deo - Travis Henry - Garry Merner - 25-1
(Woodbine; photo of Beau Jangles winning on Sept. 13)