Ontario-Bred Pacer Earns Horse of the Year honours in Canada and United States 

March 4, 2026 — After a flawless 2025 campaign, Beau Jangles heads into 2026 with an extraordinary benchmark to match — his own. 

The standout harness racing colt went undefeated in 12 starts last season, becoming the first two-year-old to earn Horse of the Year honours in both Canada and the United States. Remarkably, the Ontario-bred pacer captured the American honour without making a single start south of the border. 

Beau Jangles’ dominant season was also recognized at the 37th O’Brien Awards, where Standardbred Canada honoured the sport’s top performers during a black-tie gala January 31 at the J-AAR Expo Centre at Western Fair District in London, ON. Named for Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Joe O’Brien of PEI, the awards celebrate excellence in harness racing across the country. 

The colt was named Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year and Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year, while his trainer, Dr. Ian Moore of Cambridge, ON earned Trainer of the Year and the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship. 

Owned by Graham Grace Stables LLC, Kiwi Stables LLC, and Bolton Stables, Beau Jangles compiled a perfect 12-for-12 record while earning $1,688,750, the most by any horse racing in Canada in 2025. His victories included the $227,100 Battle of Waterloo at Grand River Raceway and a sweep of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series in his division. 

WATCH: Beau Jangles at 2025 Breeders' Crown Final at Woodbine Mohawk

FanDuel Racing

The Ontario-bred colt’s biggest triumphs came at Woodbine Mohawk Park, where he captured the $1-million Metro Pace in 1:49.1, matching a stakes and track record, before closing his season with a dazzling 1:48.3 victory in the $959,000 Breeders Crown final — a stakes, track, and Canadian record for a two-year-old. 

Overall, Beau Jangles earned more than $1.68 million, the highest total ever by a freshman pacer and the fourth-highest by any two-year-old pacer. His Breeders Crown performance also stands as the fastest mile ever recorded in Canada by a two-year-old. 

The colt became the first two-year-old male pacer to win Horse of the Year honours in both Canada and the United States and just the fifth two-year-old to receive the prestigious US Dan Patch Award in its 78-year history. 

“He’s won everything we could ever imagine him winning, and I never imagined that it would ever happen. I’m still in awe of Breeders Crown night, where he actually finished the year undefeated,” part-owner Jonathan Roberts told Ontario Racing. 

Principal owner Adam Ainspan emphasized how rare such a campaign truly is. 

“There’s only four horses who’ve been two-year-olds and undefeated that have been Horse of the Year in Thoroughbred or Standardbred racing, ever,” Ainspan said. “It’s really incredible.” 

Beau Jangles was bred by Tara Hills Stud in Port Perry, ON and sold for US$65,000 at the 2024 Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling auction in Harrisburg, PA. 

Driven primarily by Rockwood, ON reinsman Bob McClure, the colt thrived under Moore’s training program. Moore handled the reins behind Beau Jangles in the colt’s first qualifier before turning the drive over to Mont-Joli, QC driver Louis-Philippe Roy for the second. In July, however, Roy had a prior racing commitment, opening the door for Bob McClure to take over the driving duties. 

“Maybe it’s karma, maybe it’s not, I don’t know,” McClure said. “You take the good fortune, and you do the best you can with it.” 

Moore said the US Horse of the Year recognition carries special significance given the horse’s exclusively Canadian campaign. 

“It was quite an honour, and it’s even more of an honour when he never left Canada,” Moore said. 

Roberts believes Beau Jangles is still improving and expects the colt to race in the US in 2026. 

“I think it’s an unbelievable thing for the business,” he said. “Every few years we get a horse that captures people’s attention. To have a freshman do this and create this anticipation heading into next year will create a buzz the industry really needs.” 

Another Ontario-bred standout also made headlines in the US. 

Lexus Kody captured American Trotter of the Year honours after winning five of six graded stakes between August 30 and November 15. Bred by Norm Dunstan of Caledon, ON and driven primarily by Quebec-born Yannick Gingras, the seven-year-old gelding became the first Ontario-sired horse to win the Yonkers International Trot, setting a race record of 1:49.1. 

Lexus Kody finished the year as North America’s top-earning horse with more than $1.8 million in purses, the second-highest seasonal total ever recorded by an older trotter. 

With files from Standardbred Canada, panow.com, tsn.ca.

Main Photo: New Image Media