‘Beau,’ ‘Brandon,’ and ‘Mamba’ could add to Hambletonian Day hoopla

by Debbie Little

After their epic battles in both an elimination and final of the Pepsi North America Cup, everyone looked forward to Beau Jangles, Brandon Blvd, and Odds On Mr Mamba hooking up again a month later in the Meadowlands Pace.

But that tilt of the titans failed to transpire when neither Beau Jangles nor Odds On Mr Mamba entered The Big M’s signature event.

So, the question remains: When and where will the top three sophomore male pacers face off again?

Obviously, they all plan to go to the Breeders Crown at Scioto, but that’s three months away. What about now?

That magic moment could materialize at The Meadowlands, two weeks from Saturday, in the Grade 2 $300,000 (est.) Cane Pace on Aug. 8 on Hambletonian Day.

A lot would have to happen to bring about that heavyweight rematch, but longer shots have come in.

Trainer/co-owner Andrew Harris keeps his cards close to the vest when it comes to his plans for the remainder of the season for Brandon Blvd, but one thing he did confirm was that he and co-owners Bill Pollock and Bruce Areman, that comprise Punisher 11 Stable LLC, have the Cane Pace on their colt’s dance card.

“It is race to race, but at the same time, I haven’t changed my plan yet,” Harris said. “My plan’s been the same, and I had a conversation with Bill and Bruce the day after his race [in the Meadowlands Pace], and I talked about staying on the same plan that I had going into the race, and everybody was in agreement. So, as of right now, we have not changed the plan. There’s one race that’s a maybe that we didn’t originally have on the plan that we could end up going to, but as of right now, we’re not changing any plans.”

Brandon Blvd, a son of Downbytheseaside—Alexis Faith, last raced on July 11 when he won the $810,000 Grade 1 Meadowlands Pace by a head over Al Papi.

“He showed how much heart he’s got because he looked like he was beat at the three-quarter pole, and then he just battled the whole way down the lane,” Harris said of Brandon Blvd’s Pace victory.

Brandon Blvd is eligible to the Tompkins-Geers at The Meadowlands on Saturday (Aug. 1) if they wanted a tightener over the track before the Cane, and he is the only one of the big three eligible to the second leg of the Pacing Triple Crown.

Beau Jangles last raced on June 27 in an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event where he finished fifth. Since that time, the defending U.S. and Canadian Horse of the Year, had been battling a lung infection, but according to his co-owner Adam Ainspan, plans to qualify today (July 24) at his home track, Woodbine Mohawk Park.

“A lot depends on how he comes back,” Ainspan said. “He is scheduled to qualify on [July 24] and race at Grand River [in an OSS Gold event on] Aug. 3. After that he has several opportunities in the States, either staked or an invitational.

“If ‘Beau’ seems well on Aug. 3, I would consider supplementing him to the Cane.”

Ainspan and his wife, Mary Beth Roberts, comprise Graham Grace Stables LLC, who own the Dr. Ian Moore-trained Beau Jangles with partners Kiwi Stables LLC, and Bolton Stables.

Dana Parham’s Odds On Racing owns Odds On Mr Mamba, the winner of the $1 million (CDN) North America Cup over Brandon Blvd and Beau Jangles, who finished second and third, respectively. Odds On Mr Mamba, trained by Melanie Wrenn, competed in an Indiana Sires Stakes event on June 26 where he finished third.

“I think when you race at this level, at least in my mind, I want to have the best product, and we weren’t going to have that for the Meadowlands Pace,” Parham said of Odds On Mr Mamba. “He came out of the North America Cup, and lost a little bit of weight. He bled a little in his next start where he finished third and we just didn’t think that we were going to put the best product on the racetrack [for the Pace].”

Odds On Mr Mamba, bred by Parham’s Odds On Nourrir, last competed on July 18 in an elimination for the Grade 1 Adios, where he finished first by a neck over Frantic Hanover in 1:49.3.

The son of Odds On Equuleus—Honky Tonk Woman has post 3 for Saturday’s (July 25) $420,500 Adios final at The Meadows and is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line. Al Papi, winner of the other Adios elimination, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite from post 4.

Just like Ainspan, Parham is considering supplementing to the Cane.

“I have the Cane on his schedule,” Parham said. “So, should we do well in this next race, and he comes out good, I certainly would like him to race at The Meadowlands. We also have the Tompkins-Geers a week before.”

Whether or not Beau Jangles, Brandon Blvd, and Odds On Mr Mamba tangle in August at The Meadowlands or later in the year, Harris said he thinks there’s another horse in their division that should be part of the discussion.

“I think it’s kind of unfair to leave Al Papi out of the conversation,” Harris said. “He’s definitely a part of it. He makes his presence felt in every race he’s in.”