Fifty wins a ‘Major’ achievement for Beau Jangles’ ‘uncle’
by Melissa Keith
In a sport where a sizable percentage of top colts retire before age 4, the older geldings play an essential role, putting on a show after the stakes years are over. The best 2-year-old male pacer in North America this season, Beau Jangles, concluded his perfect 12-for-12 campaign after capturing the Breeders Crown final Oct. 24 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Dr. Ian Moore’s phenom is now wintering at Southern Oaks Training Centre, in Sorrento, FL, relaxing before working toward his sophomore return. Caretaker Riley Noble posted social media videos of Beau Jangles playing in a grassy paddock on Nov. 4, clearly enjoying his downtime.
There is little news about the star colt’s family, even at the time of year when pedigrees are at the forefront due to recently-concluded yearling sales. Beau Jangles (p, 2, 1:48.3s; $1,227,326) is the firstborn foal of the mare Mrs Major Hill (p, 3, 1:53f; $35,681), herself the daughter of Art Major and Bunny’s Legacy. There was no sibling to Beau Jangles in the 2025 yearling sales, because Mrs Major Hill’s 2024 Cattlewash foal died. In March, she produced a Bettors Delight colt, now named TH Notorious. Tara Hills Stud of Port Perry, ON owns Mrs Major Hill and bred Beau Jangles, who sold as TH Bo Jangles.
Tara Hills Stud owner David Heffering told HRU’s Matthew Lomon earlier this year that Mrs Major Hill was a bargain purchase selected to match up with Tara Hills stallion Cattlewash.
“I went to a sale to look for a broodmare,” Heffering said. “This mare was particularly interesting because we had bred Bunny Lake… She sat at a low number for a while, and I ended up making one bid and bought her.”
Bunny’s Legacy produced five registered foals. Among the five, there is a clear standout on the track: Major Hill (p, 6, 1:49.4s; $565,326). Now 12, the gritty gelding reached the milestone of 50 career victories Nov. 2 at Hippodrome 3R. Major Hill is the only full brother to Mrs Major Hill, Beau Jangles’ dam.
Ironically, the uncle of freshman sensation Beau Jangles went winless in three New York Sire Stakes starts at age 2. Major Hill did wire in 1:57.4f over a sloppy track in his first-ever qualifier, June 18, 2015 at The Meadows for driver Dave Palone and trainer Ron Burke. Bred by Tom Hill of Lancashire, England, Major Hill was ambitiously staked and sustained to the Metro Pace, Nassagaweya Stake and Breeders Crown, all won by nephew Beau Jangles in his sweep 10 years later.
Major Hill won his first Mohawk qualifier in 1:53.1s, wiring for Jody Jamieson and new trainer Dave Menary on April 21, 2016. The 3-year-old repeated in going-away style on April 28 in his first pari-mutuel start at the Campbellville, ON track.
With three wins from 17 sophomore starts, Major Hill changed trainers several times between late 2016-early 2017, doing his best work for Carmen Auciello after being snapped up from a $30,000 claiming race at Mohawk on May 20, 2017. Major Hill won his May 27 debut for Auciello, crushing on the front end in a 1:51.1s conditioned event, with Jamieson back in the sulky. He reached the Mohawk preferred handicap for the first time on Feb. 24, 2018, finishing sixth for Jonathan Drury. Major Hill picked up four wins in the Georgian and Flamboro Downs preferred 2 and 3 at age 4 for Auciello, then changed barns again in March 2021.
Claimed for $28,000 at Mohawk on New Year’s Day, 2022, Major Hill joined current owner François Morin and quickly reeled off back-to-back conditioned wins for trainer Brett Lester and driver Louis-Philippe Roy. Although the gelding took his lifetime mark at Woodbine Racetrack on June 29, 2019, Major Hill’s first year for Morin was his winningest, collecting 10 2022 victories. He rose to the Rideau Carleton preferred handicap level on Feb. 27 that year, finishing fifth to Morin’s stable star National Debt, but later won three in a row, April 3, 10, and 17, at the same classification.
Major Hill finished second to eventual 2022 Gold Cup and Saucer champion Sintra at Red Shores Charlottetown in their Aug. 13, 2022 Cup Trial, ending up fifth in that year’s final. His next wins would be for driver Pascal Berube and trainer Yves Tessier at Rideau Carleton Nov. 13, taking the preferred handicap on Nov. 27.
Morin has regularly sent Major Hill to race at Woodbine Mohawk Park and Flamboro every winter since 2022, after the conclusion of the Rideau and Hippodrome 3R meets. The 12-year-old pacer has won races at Mohawk each season since joining Morin’s stable, even equaling his personal best at age 10 with a 1:49.4 victory on May 6, 2023 for driver Trevor Henry. Major Hill’s most recent Mohawk win was on Dec. 2, 2024 for Louis-Philippe Roy.
Late in his 12-year-old season, Major Hill is expected to migrate to Woodbine Mohawk Park again in the near future, while Beau Jangles enjoys time as a Canadian snowbird down south.
“I race a couple of horses down the road,” said the Beauceville, QC-based owner on Monday (Nov. 17).”I prefer to race at Rideau, but it’s impossible; no room in the barn.”
The family connection between his horse and the frontrunner for Canadian Horse of the Year has not been lost on Morin, although he said he only became aware of it when the 2-year-old champion began gaining momentum.
“It’s unbelievable,” Morin said with a laugh. “I knew in the middle of the year, in the summer. I checked, maybe the mare is the same [breeding] as my horse?”
When he confirmed that Mrs Major Hill is Major Hill’s sister, he was thrilled.
“For sure,” he said. “I watched [Beau Jangles] more when I saw that.”
Although their careers have been dissimilar, Beau Jangles does share one positive trait with Major Hill, noted Morin.
“Both are strong horses,” Morin said. “Major Hill is a really sound horse for 12 years old, because he never gave 100 per cent in a race. Sometimes he was hard to race, [but] he has really good legs… Low maintenance, Major Hill.”
When Major Hill earned his 50th career victory on Nov. 2 at Hippodrome 3R, Morin celebrated the moment. Sent off at 3-1, the 12-year-old collared 2-1 favorite Southwind Leo in deep stretch, winning in 1:59.4h for driver William Roy and trainer Guy Roy. Most of the field consisted of 6-year-olds.
“For me, my priority is to watch my horse race,” said Morin, whose other warhorse, 14-year-old National Debt (p, 3, 1:49.4h; $670,796), will be formally retired at Rideau Carleton on Nov. 30.
The connection between Major Hill and Beau Jangles is intriguing because the immediate family is small, with no other recent performers within range of either pacer’s achievements. Maternal granddam Bunny’s Legacy (p, 3, 2:00h; $8,500), first foal of Bunny Lake (p, 6, 1:49s; $2,843,476) was exported to England in Oct. 2017. The only sister to Bunny’s Legacy is Rocknroll Hanover mare Sock Hopper (p, 3, Q1:58m; $7,730), who has no offspring.
Bunny Lake was voted the 2002 USHWA Dan Patch 3-Year-Old Pacing Filly, Pacer, and Horse of the Year. Later a Hanover Shoe Farms broodmare, world champion Bunny Lake was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Goshen, NY, in 2010. She has been retired from breeding since her 2021 embryo transfer foal, unraced mare Bunny Hop Hanover.
“Beau Jangles is not the best horse in Canada,” Morin said. “Beau Jangles is the best horse in Canada and the U.S.”
As the proud owner of Beau’s uncle, his enthusiasm is easy to understand, and share.
