Redland Rocket Man set a 1:48.2 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) and Grand River Raceway track record winning the lone $150,000 OSS Gold Leg 3 event for sophomore pacing colts on Monday’s (Aug. 3) Battle of Waterloo afternoon card at the Elora track.
The mile erased the 1:49 OSS and track record for 3-year-old male pacers on a five-eighths mile track set by Allstar Maniac in a Gold event on last year’s Battle of Waterloo card.
Jody Jamieson, subbing for regular pilot Louis-Philippe Roy, drove Redland Rocket Man, a gelded son of Bulldog Hanover out of Granny Hanover, to the head victory over Borderline Mobby (James MacDonald) for trainer/part-owner John Pentland, who also trains Jersey Bulldog, the winner of the $165,000 Battle of the Belles for 2-year-old Ontario-sired pacing fillies one race later.
Sent off at 15-1 in the field of eight, Jamieson had Redland Rocket Man on top before the :25.4 quarter pole. Beau Jangles (Bob McClure), the 2-5 favourite, poked a neck in front by the :52.3 half, but was parked as Redland Rocket Man drove on and commanded the front through the 1:20.1 three-quarters with Borderline Mobby gamely on his heels. The two hooked up and battled in the lane with Redland Rocket Man fighting him off to edge out the victory.
“We were conscious when we prepped [Redland Rocket Man that he had talent],” Pentland said. “Did I think he could beat this field? I thought with the right trip he could. I didn’t think he would off a [front-end] trip like that, nor did anybody probably think their horse could win off a trip like that. But he’s been a good horse all along and we tried to bring him along slowly, and maybe it paid off this time.
“The horse is absolutely for real, and I kept it buried inside a little bit because certainly in his last OSS race he was close. He almost won that race in :48.2. It was a little bit of a heartbreak at the wire. I didn’t want that to repeat today.
“He’s a terrific colt. He kind of looks after himself. He’s a little hot. That’s his only downfall. I guess that paid off today.”
Bred by Redland Farm of Bible Hill, NS, Redland Rocket Man was sold for $30,000 at the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling sale in Harrisburg, PA. He is owned by Pentland of Dorchester, ON, Murray Cox of Rockwood, ON and Gary Volpe of St. Thomas, ON.
Redland Rocket Man has now earned $316,385 lifetime, $250,287 of that coming this year, including an appearance in the $1 million Grade 1 Pepsi North America Cup final, where he finished eighth.
On Monday in his Gold start, Redland Rocket Man paid $33.70 to win.
Odds On Bullfrog (Travis Henry) was third, followed by No Waitlist (Doug McNair) and Wholetthedogsout (Mark MacDonald). Beau Jangles, the reigning Canadian and U.S. Horse of the Year was sixth. He finished fifth in his Gold start on June 27.
Redland Rocket Man’s Gold win was his first 2026 victory in his ninth start. It was also the pacer’s first OSS triumph. He was a close second to Borderline Mobby in the previous Gold start on June 27 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Beau Jan.gles won the first Gold event of the year on May 23 at Mohawk