Atlas Ross Turns $25k Buy Into Perfect OSS Gold Streak

Atlas Ross improved to a perfect four-for-four and set a career-best 1:51.2 while winning the lone C$150,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Leg 3 for 2-year-old pacing colts on Sunday at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The Gregg McNair trainee has now earned C$142,550 for owners James and Elizabeth Ross after they paid just C$25,000 for him at the 2025 London Classic Yearling Sale.

That multiple already turns a mid-price gamble into one of the clearest early vindication stories of the Ontario freshman crop.

The Mile That Settled the Favorite

Sent off the even-money choice in a field of nine from the rail, Doug McNair settled Atlas Ross fourth early. Kerplunk led to a:27.3 opening quarter. Yes I Am Hanover took over briefly before Gogo Gadget seized the front and carried the field to the:55.4 half and 1:23.4 three-quarters.

Big D Energy and Atlas Ross both closed. McNair angled the Big Jim colt up the inside. Once clear he pulled away by 1 3/4 lengths over a fast-closing Yes I Am Hanover. Big D Energy finished third, Gogo Gadget fourth and Kerplunk fifth. Atlas Ross paid $4.10.

The fractions and finish match the official Ontario Sires Stakes account of the career-best 1:51.2 Gold victory.

How a $25,000 Colt Became the Division Favorite

James and Elizabeth Ross of Wingham, Ontario, bought the son of Big Jim out of Kisskissbangbang for C$25,000 at the 2025 London Classic. That figure sat below the sale’s overall 2025 London Classic average of $30,702 across 289 yearlings that grossed nearly $8.9 million.

Breeders Ashley and Dean Wilson of Kerwood, Ontario, also consigned the sale topper that year. Atlas Ross has now repaid the purchase price more than five times over while remaining unbeaten.

• July 5: OSS Grassroots win at Woodbine Mohawk Park (first OSS victory).
• July 19: OSS Gold Leg 2 division in career-best 1:51.3 (then).
• Aug. 16: OSS Gold Leg 3 in new career-best 1:51.2.
• Earnings: C$142,550 from four wins in four starts.

The progression turned a quiet buy into the horse most observers now treat as the one to beat in the 2-year-old pacing colt Gold ranks.

Earnings snapshot

• Purchase price: C$25,000
• Current earnings: C$142,550
• Multiple: roughly 5.7 times purchase
• Record: 4-for-4, two straight Gold scores

McNair Hands and the Inside Path

Doug McNair has driven the colt in his major scores. Trainer Gregg McNair has kept the program simple and effective. After the Leg 3 win McNair told Woodbine broadcaster John Rallis the colt simply exploded once he found clear racing room.

I wasn’t sure what was pacing on the inside, but once he shot through, he kind of exploded. He’s a really fast colt.

McNair later added that Atlas Ross is a sweetheart who wants to do it from either way, loves being on the helmet or going to the front, and is a really classy horse. The inside move on Sunday showed both the tactical flexibility and the raw gear that have defined the unbeaten run.

Big Jim’s Quiet Ontario Push

Atlas Ross is by Big Jim, the Western Ideal stallion who raced to a 1:49.1 mark at two and earned $1,544,580. He stands at Seelster Farms in Lucan, Ontario, for a 2026 fee of $5,500. The Big Jim p,2,1:49.1s earnings record already includes multiple stakes performers, and the early 2026 results from his Ontario-sired crop are adding fresh notice.

• Sire: Big Jim (Western Ideal, Bold Pink)
• Dam: Kisskissbangbang
• Breeder: Ashley and Dean Wilson
• Owner: James and Elizabeth Ross
• Trainer: Gregg McNair
• Primary driver: Doug McNair

The colt’s speed and manners give the stallion another high-profile advertisement inside the Ontario Sires Stakes program incentives that reward Ontario-sired stock with rich purses and series structure.

What the Perfect Record Already Bought

Four wins in four starts have stacked both money and points. The first OSS score came in Grassroots company. The next two arrived in Gold company, each faster than the last. That path has locked in eligibility and positioning toward the later Super Final stages while the bankroll keeps growing.

1. July 5, 2026: OSS Grassroots win at Woodbine Mohawk Park, first career stakes score.
2. July 19, 2026: OSS Gold Leg 2 division in 1:51.3, remaining undefeated.
3. Aug. 16, 2026: OSS Gold Leg 3 in 1:51.2, earnings reach C$142,550.

The same McNair barn also took a Grassroots filly score on the same Sunday card with Aceandaten, another London Classic graduate. Consistency across the barn reinforces the sense that the program is hitting at the right moment for this crop.

Division Picture After Leg 3

Gogo Gadget entered the night as the other undefeated Gold force. He had won a Leg 1 division and a Leg 2 division. On Sunday he finished fourth after setting the middle fractions. Yes I Am Hanover closed for second and Big D Energy held third. Earlier Leg 1 winners included TH Benedict alongside Gogo Gadget.

The lone Leg 3 division compressed the field and handed Atlas Ross the clearest statement win of the series so far. Official harness accounts treated the result as confirmation rather than surprise. The colt simply keeps finding another gear when asked.

Later Gold legs and the Super Final will test whether the perfect record can stretch further. For now the $25,000 wager has already delivered the speed, the earnings and the reputation that owners and trainers chase when they write the cheque at the yearling sale.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much has Atlas Ross earned compared with his purchase price?

Atlas Ross has earned C$142,550 from four wins after selling for C$25,000, a return of roughly 5.7 times the original outlay before any residual value or future purses are counted.

Who bred and who owns Atlas Ross?

Ashley and Dean Wilson bred the colt; James and Elizabeth Ross of Wingham, Ontario, own him after buying him at the 2025 London Classic Yearling Sale.

What is the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series structure for 2-year-old pacers?

The Gold Series offers multiple legs with purses that escalate (Leg 3 carried C$150,000 here) plus points that help determine Super Final eligibility, restricted to Ontario-sired horses.

What was Atlas Ross’s previous career best before the Leg 3 win?

He set a then-career-best 1:51.3 when winning his OSS Gold Leg 2 division on July 19 before lowering it to 1:51.2 on August 16.

Who trains and drives Atlas Ross?

Gregg McNair trains the colt and Doug McNair has been the regular driver for the major scores, including both Gold wins.