There's a good chance there will be some new faces in the photo taken at the 2018 Dan Patch Awards when the connections of Captain Crunch accept the award for two-year-old pacing colt of the year.
Diamond Creek Farm has obtained an ownership interest in Captain Crunch, who was the clearcut choice among USHWA voters in his division, garnering nearly 97 per cent of the votes.
"We are excited to be part of Captain Crunch’s future," Diamond Creek's Adam Bowden told Trot Insider. "It’s a perfect blend of two of the hottest young stallions in our sport being by Captaintreacherous and out of Sweet Lou’s maternal family."
A son of Captaintreacherous - Sweet Paprika, Captain Crunch won six of 10 races as a two-year-old and earned $628,642. His triumphs included the $600,000 Breeders Crown, $469,300 Governor’s Cup and a division of the International Stallion Stake at The Red Mile in which he took his lifetime mark of 1:49.1.
During his freshman campaign Captain Crunch was trained by Nancy Johansson and owned by 3 Brothers Stables (Alan, Ron and Steve Katz), Christina Takter, Norman & Robert Aerenson’s Rojan Stables, and Judy & Buck Chaffee’s Caviart Farms. The charismatic colt has generated headlines for his on-track abilities and his off-the-track charm.
“He’s big, but he’s gentle with [daughter Ella]," Johansson stated in a previous feature. "He lets her pet him and he plays with you. He’s as nice as a two-year-old colt can be. If you spend a couple minutes with him you can’t help but to like him. He’s got unbelievable charisma.”
“He’s a good-looking horse,” continued Nancy's husband, horseman Marcus Johansson. “He’s got a great personality. He’s happy all the time. He’s always in a good mood. I like horses like that. If you walk into work and see someone who is miserable, you become miserable even if you were happy. He’s the first horse on the end (of the stable). I park my car there so I can go and see him. It starts out the day [well].”