By Ross Peddicord

-first published in the April issue of The Equiery

Jonathan Roberts — a well-known Maryland harness driver and Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners Association president — and his fiancée, Anne Hooper, own a 25% share in Beau Jangles, the pacer sensation who is well on his way to Standardbred greatness.

Beau Jangles was named 2025 Harness Horse of the Year in Canada (the O’Brien Awards) and in the U.S. (the Dan Patch Awards) — the first two-year-old pacer to win both honors in the same season. The colt is undefeated in 12 starts, all in his native Canada, and has earned $1,227,326. His victories include the two biggest Grade I stakes for two-year-olds: the $970,000 Metro Pace and the Breeders Crown. He is the first U.S. Harness Horse of The Year to receive the honor without racing in the United States.“The U.S. Dan Patch Awards (named after the legendary harness horse) encompass all of North America, so he was eligible for the voting (by the U.S. Harness Writers Association),” Roberts said.

Roberts and Hooper operate Kiwi Stable in LaPlata, Charles County, MD, lovingly named after Anne’s rescue dog, Kiwi. The couple have known each other since childhood, then recon-nected years later and are now engaged to be married. Anne operates Hooper & Associates, a successful commercial real estate and property management business in the Waldorf-LaPlata area. When they were kids, Anne took her first pony ride at the Roberts’ farm.

Roberts said Hooper really increased her interest in racing after she started going with his family (Sharon and William “Bib” Roberts) to the top level Grand Circuit harness races with the Roberts’ homebred mare, Call Me Goo. The champion trotter mare was so inspirational that Kiwi Stables not only bought three yearlings in 2024, including another stakes winner named Sparks, but then purchased 14 yearlings last year and campaigns more than 20 others, mostly in partnership.

The other partners in Beau Jangles include Dr. Adam Ainspan and his wife Mary Beth Roberts, from Clifton, VA, who race as the Graham Grace Stables. They have raced horses with Roberts’ father, Bib Roberts, for over 20 years and regularly compete on the Rosecroft/Ocean Downs circuit. They own 60% of Beau Jangles. The other 15% is owned by the Bolton Stables, a five-person partnership from Florida.

Roberts credits Dr. Adam Ainspan, a veterinarian, for picking out Beau Jangles at the 2024 Harrisburg, PA, Yearling Sale. “Adam saw a video of him, and thought the horse was very athletic,” Roberts said. “I went to look at him at the sale. He was really big and sometimes those big horses are slow to come around. But I couldn’t find any fault with him.”

The group purchased the colt for $65,000. Because he is Canadian-bred, the colt was sent to race in Canada with renowned trainer Dr. Ian Moore.

Beau Jangles now stands 16.3 hands and is wintering in Florida with Dr. Moore, also a veterinarian. If all goes well, he will race in the U.S. this year, as well as in Canada.

While Roberts and Hooper were in Florida to receive the Dan Patch Award, he had a chance to train the horse in the morning. “He has it all,” Roberts said. ”He is big and strong, but really quick and very athletic for a big horse. He is big gaited and has a kind mouth. You can place him anywhere and he responds. He loves to race, absolutely loves it.”

Roberts admits, “we hoped he might be a good one. But we never expected this!”

Photo by Dave Lantry