Dr. Ian Moore trainee Beau Jangles and driver Bob McClure scored the tactical edge on fellow unbeaten rookie Frantic Hanover and kept his own perfect record intact in winning the $1 million Metro Pace (Grade 1) on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Frantic Hanover and Tim Tetrick hustled out of post two for the lead, parking Tilthecowscomehome and Jody Jamieson to the first turn while Bob McClure also pushed for a forward spot with Beau Jangles and swiftly decided to charge three-wide into the first turn. Beau Jangles bolted towards Frantic Hanover into a :26 first quarter and the two battled for the lead up the backside until Tetrick obliged to relinquish control for a pocket ride past the three-eighths pole.
Beau Jangles planted onto the lead approaching a :54.1 half and maintained his speed heading for the far turn. Al Papi and Yannick Gingras pulled off the pegs to march uncovered out of fourth in a first-up bid that bottled Frantic Hanover in the pocket coming to three-quarters in 1:22.1.
McClure managed to keep Frantic Hanover locked while accelerating for home but Al Papi soon tired nearing the final eighth, giving Frantic Hanover an opening to launch a last-ditch attack. Beau Jangles held his ground in the final blitz to keep a half-length up on Frantic Hanover in a 1:49.1 stakes and track record-equalling mile while Sweet Lovin Lou and James MacDonald rallied for third, finishing two lengths behind.
The winning time was a career-best for Beau Jangles and equalled the track record for two-year-old male pacers that was first set in 2011 by A Rocknroll Dance in a Metro elimination and matched by Tall Dark Stranger in 2019 and Fallout in 2024 in their respective Metro final victories.
“I didn’t really set a plan,” said McClure after winning his first Metro Pace. “I just wanted to be ready for whatever was thrown at us. Three-wide into the first turn wasn’t part of my plan, but I was pretty confident in this colt. I figured anything I threw at him, he’d take it and prevail. It looked like a two-horse race and I just thought I was able to out-maneuver him. I figured it was a 50-50 bet at the head of the lane, but this colt wasn’t letting him go by and the closer we got to the wire, he just kept digging.”
McClure has sat in the bike for all eight of Beau Jangles' wins, amassing $972,125 in earnings for owners Graham Grace Stables of Clifton, Virginia, Kiwi Stables of La Plata, Maryland and Bolton Stables of Clermont, Florida.
“The first time I sat behind him, he won a Gold [division of the Ontario Sires Stakes] in [1:]50, so I was confident he would be in the Metro but, at that point, I hadn’t even locked up the drive yet,” said McClure. “I’m very fortunate to have landed him. I got lucky because Louis [Roy] was travelling. And this colt’s been an absolute dream. He’s the easiest two-year-old you can drive – he’s two fingers, perfect gaited and he showed tonight he has the heart of a champion. I just feel very fortunate to sit behind him.”
The Cattlewash colt, out of the Art Major mare Mrs Major Hill, gave trainer Moore his second victory in the Metro after he won his first in 2022 when teaming alongside Jody Jamieson with Stockade Seelster.
“As I saw [Frantic Hanover] coming, I thought, ‘Here we go,’ but ‘Beau’ dug in. He’s a terrific horse that way,” said Moore after capping off a busy week of travel back and forth to the United States prepping Beau Jangles for the Metro and Little Brown Jug starter Prince Hal Hanover in Ohio. “He has a tremendous will and desire to win, and he showed it here tonight. The other colt [Frantic Hanover] is a great colt as well, and I’m sure we’ll meet again before the year is over.”
Beau Jangles has also inspired Moore to delay a training retirement he was mulling through this season.
“I think it’s already postponed now,” stated Moore. “He’s already said that for me. It’s pretty hard to walk away from a horse like this for next year. I’ve already e-mailed all my partners and spoke to a lot of them about yearlings as well, so I guess we’ll start looking at yearlings next week.”
Bred by Tara Hills Stud of Port Perry, Ont., Beau Jangles was a $90,278 yearling buy at the Standardbred Horse Sale.
He returned $4.50 to win as the 6-5 second choice in the betting to 4-5 favourite Frantic Hanover. After an inquiry on runner-up Frantic Hanover into his stretch move, judges ruled he did not cause interference when coming out of a hole and the results were upheld.
To view Saturday's complete harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine)