By JAY BERGMAN for Breeders Crown
He got the sport’s attention as a 44-1 outsider in the
Champlain this year, but Captive Audience has easy to overlook in the days leading up to the $600,000
Breeders Crown juvenile colt pace. Most of the headlines have been reserved for
the Metro and Wilson winner Captaintreacherous.
“I think if we can get on his back we can go with him,” said
Captive Audience’s trainer Corey Johnson about his promising two-year-old colt
pacer.
“We changed his shoes this week going from steel up front to
aluminum,” said Johnson. “I trained him this morning (Wednesday) at Mohawk and
he handled it well.”
Johnson has also added earplugs to the list of equipment the
Art Major colt will wear in the big dance.
The trainer thought Captive Audience raced well in his
elimination heat finishing third behind Wake Up Peter but didn’t think the
uncovered trip was his strongest suit. “I’m not sure he raced that great in the
elimination,” said Johnson, “He’d never been first up before.”
For most of the season Captive Audience has been raced
strictly from off the pace. The team departed from that strategy in the
$261,829 Champlain where the colt left strongly for the front and then got
covered up on his way to an impressive career fastest 1:50 2/5 victory.
“We tried him on the front end in his race before the
Breeders Crown elimination,” Corey said, “I think he was a little green and
didn’t know what to do.”
At the same time Captive Audience did display extreme speed
on October 8 at Woodbine pacing a :54 1/5 back half in handy fashion.
Captive Audience’s preferred racing style isn’t going to be
an asset on Saturday considering the $95,000 Harrisburg yearling purchase of
his father (Colin) and partner Mac Nichol, drew post ten.
“The ten hole is a tough spot. I’m not sure how the race
will go but I hope Brian (Sears) can work out a third over trip,” said Johnson.
While Captive Audience did defeat Crown competitor Rockin
Amadeus and the highly regarded Odds On Equuelus in the Champlain, his best
finish to date against Captaintreacherous were a pair of third place finishes
in the Nassagaweya and Metro eliminations. In both races he was going forward
in the stretch.
"I’m not sure anyone can go with Captaintreacherous,” the
trainer said.
Still with so much money riding Johnson is hopeful his horse
can get into the race and have a chance to show his speed. “He’s got a :26
second quarter in him,” he said with confidence.
Brian Sears will once again be in the sulky hoping to
improve on the third place finishes. Captive Audience has won just twice in
nine starts this year with $176,245 in earnings but he could add significantly
to that with a good effort in the Crown.
“He’s not that big a colt and we’re hoping he grows up a bit
for next year,” said Johnson. “This will be his last start of the year.”
Captive Audience has a solid pedigree being from the top New
York-based sire Art Major out of the $316,588 winning mare Captiva Island. She
is by Western Hanover out of the 57-time and $1.6 million winning Sanabelle
Island. Art Major is a double-Crown
winner at age three and four and has sired one champion – Santanna Blue Chip,
the 2007 freshman Crown winner.
