Beau Jangles, Triple Crown oddities, and much more
by Bob Heyden
And so it begins. Dan Patch and Canadian Horse of the Year Beau Jangles won his first qualifier of 2026 in 1:51.3 on Friday (April 10) at Southern Oaks Training Center in Florida. There are high expectations, obviously.
The 2025 HOY is trying to do something not done since the 1970s, win back-to-back HOY titles at 2 and 3.
The last time anyone did that, was Niatross in 1979-80.
Beau Jangles, a son of Cattlewash, went 12-for-12 with a Canadian record of 1:48.3 to nail down the honors in the Breeders Crown.
How long can Beau Jangles’ undefeated streak continue? What happens when he crosses into the States with everyone taking aim? Will he continue on his destructive path and keep this streak going into the 20s?
Remember, Jate Lobell in 1986 ran the table at 2, but didn’t make it to the 20s at 3. Bret Hanover didn’t have to wait rattling off all 24 in 1964 and was able to set a standard 61 years ago that still stands, 35 straight.
Somebeachsomewhere won his first 10 and last 10 with the Art Official 2008 Meadowlands Pace sandwiched in there.
Beau Jangles won the three-horse qualifier, that included 4-year-old stablemate Prince Hal Hanover, by a neck.
“Wow, a once in a lifetime experience,” said co-owner/driver Jonathan Roberts who piloted ‘Beau’ in the qualifier. “Every driver should experience this. He will qualify again right here next week.”
TRIPLE CROWN ODDITIES
In the 1985 Yonkers Trot, Jan Nordin qualified three different horses in the three elims. So, who do you use in the final? Family of course.
His brother Ulf finished second with elim winner Mark Six, dad Soren was fourth with elim runner-up Ron B Hanover, and Jan won it with Master Willie. The Nordin brothers 1-2.
Where had we seen this before? The year before in the Yonkers Trot, with Jan with Baltic Speed and Ulf with Sandy Bowl.
Speaking of the Triple Crown, what was commonplace in the 1960s is all but extinct since, multiple Triple Crown winners competing in the same racing season. In 1964, there were three, Speedy Scot, Ayres, and Bret Hanover. There were two each in the next four years: Bret Hanover and Speedy Scot (1965), Bret Hanover and Romeo Hanover (1966), Romeo Hanover and Nevele Pride (1967), and Nevele Pride and Rum Customer (1968). In 1969 there were three with Nevele Pride, Rum Customer and Lindys Pride. Since then? Just once, when Western Dreamer at age 5, competed in the same year that 3-year-old Blissful Hall did in his Triple Crown season.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
We are coming up on several anniversaries.
May 9th will mark 25 years since the passing of Cam Fella at 22. He was the last pacer to be back-to-back HOY (1982-83).
May 18 is the 20th anniversary of Primetime Bobcat’s epic 1:47.2 world record effort in Canada for Jody Jamieson and a newbie named Casie Coleman. That came one month shy of 10 years since Jenna’s Beach Boy posted his incredible 1:47.3 effort at The Meadowlands.
We are three months away from it being a full 40 years since we lost Billy Haughton in July 1986.
DID YOU KNOW?
• The 1977 Trotting and Pacing Guide did not include any 1976 stake or results from The Meadowlands and also did not have the initial Meadowlands Pace on its stakes schedule for 1977, which at $425,000 would be the richest race ever held that very year on July 12.
• Sixteen of the 32 top point-getters in the first two rounds of the Borgata are from Australia or New Zealand.
• Lucas Wallin, who trained Rebuff who won the Breeders Crown the Kentucky Futurity and owns a 1:49.4 record, said, “I have six Rebuffs and four I really like. Looking very much forward to racing his first crop.”
• Marcus Melander reports Super Chapter is training down fine and is readying for an early May qualifier.
• We made it 100 days (April 10) into the year with a 61-year-old driver leading all of North America in earnings, Dave Miller ($54G up on Jason Bartlett). If you look at the, well, inauspicious first four years of Miller’s career, you might want to be extra patient with youngsters today aiming for their dream. Here are his 1981 through 1984 totals by year (remember he was 17, 18, 19, and 20):
1981— 30 4-2-2 $1,891 .193
1982 — 42 3-4-3 $4,788 .164
1983 — 6 0-0-2 $1,203 .117
1984 — 7 2-0-0 $2,120 .245
Combined — 85 9-6-7
