Ontario’s best on display on and off the track for Breeders Crown finals
by Matthew Lomon
The 2025 Breeders Crown championships are set to charge into Woodbine Mohawk Park this weekend, with Ontario ready to play a starring role both on and off the track.
A total of 14 Ontario-sired horses will line up behind the starter car between the four 2-year-old championship races on Friday (Oct. 24) and eight 3-year-old and up championship tilts on Saturday (Oct. 25), each chasing the ultimate thrill of Breeders Crown glory.
Making up the local 2-year-old Ontario-sired contingent is a trio of fillies in Bingo Night (Green Manalishi S), Daya (Bulldog Hanover), and Shes A Bulldog (Bulldog Hanover), followed by a pair of colts in the undefeated Beau Jangles (Cattlewash) and Windor (Bulldog Hanover).
The Ontario-stamped roster of horses aged 3-and-up features five fillies and four colts/geldings.
Monalishi (Green Manalishi S), Stormont Beautiful (Resolve), Outtathisworld Deo (Bettors Delight), Millie May Hanover (Bettors Delight), and Chantilly (Big Jim) complete the filly half of the equation.
The colt and gelding side is reinforced by Crack Shot (Bettors Delight), Logan Park (Archangel), Lexus Kody (Archangel), and Nijinsky (Bettors Delight).
All Over Ontario caught up with some of the connections ahead of the momentous occasion, starting with the 2-year-old contenders.
Bingo Night and driver Tyler Jones will lead the rookie crop into battle in the 2-Year-Old Filly Trot final – the weekend’s first Breeders Crown fixture – on Friday at 8:47 p.m. EST.
The brown filly out of Royalty For Life mare Cant Stop Tommi delivered a sustained rally in the second elimination for rookie trotting fillies on Oct. 17 at Mohawk to secure third place and a spot in the division championship.
Jones, who has manned the race bike for Bingo Night’s 11 career starts (5-3-3; $414,879 CAD), remains awestruck by the thought of reaching the mountaintop with his father Dustin’s homebred trotter.
“It hasn’t entirely sunk in yet,” Tyler said. “Adding a Breeders Crown would be massive and propel her into a very high echelon of great horses and fellow BC champions.
“Winning with my dad, and with one of his homebreds, I’m not sure I can wrap my head around the idea at the moment. All I can say is we have been blessed with a horse like Bingo Night. We are grateful for what has been this season… it all comes down to the Crown.”
The father-and-son team debated whether they would shoot for the Breeders Crown with Bingo Night, but after she claimed the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Super Final on Oct. 10 at Mohawk, the first of two “determining factors,” as Tyler labelled it, was satisfied.
“The second was the fact that the Breeders Crown was here at Mohawk and not somewhere else,” Tyler said. “Had we needed to travel for it, we most likely would not have entered and put her away after the Super Final. She has raced every start at Mohawk but one — an OSS gold event at Grand River Raceway — she knows the course well now. There’s definitely an advantage to that.”
Driver Jody Jamieson, who will pilot Daya in the 2-Year-Old Filly Pace final, agrees with Jones that keeping it local offers somewhat of a home-field advantage.
“I think it helps quite a bit not having to travel,” said Jamieson, a winner of over 8,900 races lifetime. “Our horses aren’t really used to traveling a lot, so it has to be an advantage.”
Daya, a bay out of Somebeachsomewhere mare Beach Of A Time, scored an earnings-based bye into Friday’s final after amassing $416,886 from 11 starts this season (5-4-1).
Boasting wins in the Battle of the Belles and Eternal Camnation, and a strong runner-up showing in the Shes A Great Lady in a personal best 1:50, Daya has certainly caught Jamieson’s eye.
“She was pretty great in the Shes A Great Lady final in the summer,” he said. “She can carry her speed a long way.”
Spearheading the Ontario-sired 2-year-old squad is none other than freshman phenom Beau Jangles, who will compete in the $700,000 Colt and Gelding Pace.
A perfect 11-for-11 to begin his career, the bay bred by Tara Hills Stud has collected countless standout wins, boasting tallies in the OSS Gold Super Final, $1 million Metro Pace, Grade 3 Nassagaweya, and Battle of Waterloo.
Bob McClure, who steered the superstar pacer to a speed badge equaling 1:49.1 elimination victory on Oct. 17 at Mohawk, is relishing the opportunity to chase history.
“It’s been a real privilege sitting behind Beau this year,” said McClure, who surpassed 3,700 career wins in 2025.
“It’s been the definition of a perfect season with one job left to do. I’m really hoping we can close the year out perfect, making it a memorable year for not just myself, but one that would be looked back on as one of the great seasons a 2-year-old has ever had.”
When the calendar flips to Saturday for the 3-year-old and up finals, Mohawk’s leading driver by wins and earnings, James MacDonald, will sit behind a pair of sophomore fillies with championship ambitions.
Monalishi, who delivered a new watermark of 1:51.2 to finish fourth in the first 3-Year-Old Trotting filly elimination on Oct. 18 at Mohawk, has shown tremendous resilience to reach the final.
The brown filly out of RC Royalty mare Pretty Phylly G enjoyed a successful start to her second professional season, finding the winner’s circle in three of five starts, including an OSS Gold leg on June 20 at Mohawk.
Following a 2½-length triumph of the Grade 3 New York New York Mile at Yonkers Raceway on June 27, Monalishi missed her next OSS Gold leg and didn’t return until Sept. 5 for a qualifying effort.
Despite the unplanned layoff, the lionhearted trotter, at 6-1, contested and prevailed in the $300,000 Gold Super Final on Oct. 11 at Mohawk.
MacDonald, who was in tow, believes Monalishi is capable of playing spoiler, yet again.
“Her last two starts have been her best,” said the seven-time O’Brien Award-winning reinsman. “I think she’s just now getting back right, and hopefully, will be ready to upset come Saturday.”
MacDonald will team up with another Ontario-sired star in Chantilly — who made it 13 starts before suffering her first loss — in the 3-Year-Old Filly Pace final.
The 2024 Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year is primed for her Breeders Crown debut after claiming victory in six of 10 starts, including her second consecutive OSS Gold Super Final, this season.
By her side from the beginning, MacDonald is savoring the opportunity to achieve Breeders Crown renown together.
“Chantilly has been incredible her entire career,” MacDonald said. “If she could win the Breeders Crown, it would be very special. Having been there from the start with her, it would be a real thrill.”
On the colt side, Crack Shot, stares down the chance to deliver for the father-and-son pair of Gregg and Doug McNair in the 3-Year-Old Pace final.
With Doug in the race bike, and Gregg coaching from the sidelines, the bay out of Somebeachsomewhere mare Beautyonthebeach booked his ticket to the championship with a fifth in 1:48.2 in the second elimination on Oct. 18 at Mohawk.
Shooting for a Breeders Crown title with the two-time Super Final-winning pacer, and his dad, is a dreamlike prospect for Doug.
“It’s something just to be in the race with that horse, so any good fortune would just be icing on the cake,” he said. “It would be a huge thrill.
“It’s nice to win those races for anybody, but when it’s your dad, it would top things for sure.”
Nijinsky, the winner of the 2024 $1 million North America Cup, will also experience his first taste of Breeders Crown action when he challenges for the $600,000 Open Pace trophy.
With a chance to add another prestigious number to an already sterling resume in the weekend’s final event, the 4-year-old bay has the full support of his conditioner.
“Obviously, the opportunity to have a horse in these races is awesome, but to have one who I think has a legitimate shot at winning is great,” said Tony Beaton, who coached his pupils to over $4.5 million in earnings last season.
“I’m just looking for [Louis-Philippe Roy] to map out a good trip for Nijinsky and I’m confident that we will get a good effort out of him.”
Nijinsky has racked up plenty of air miles across 35 lifetime starts (15-10-4; $1,959,113 CAD), making appearances at Flamboro Downs, Hoosier Park, The Meadowlands, the Delaware County Fair, Dover Downs, and his home track, Mohawk.
Not having to travel for the Breeders Crown, Beaton said, isn’t necessarily an advantage when factoring the caliber of competition.
“I don’t think it hurts us any not having to travel, even though he [Nijinsky] doesn’t seem to mind the travel,” he said. “It is nice to be able to race a big race like this on your home track, but I don’t see it being a big advantage because it’s a very deep field and any one of these horses could step up and win at any time on any track.”
One thing’s for sure, however, is that Ontario-sired horses aren’t just content to play second fiddle on North American harness racing’s grandest stage – they’re out to seize the spotlight.
