Trot Insider once again profiles the horses predicted to be the top contenders for Canadian harness racing's richest prize, the 2020 Pepsi North America Cup.
This year's edition of the North America Cup was originally slated to be contested on Saturday, June 20 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. On Wednesday, Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson announced the race would be postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to the viral outbreak, TROT Magazine compiled its annual ranking of the horses expected to be in contention for the 2020 Pepsi North America Cup.
To kick off the countdown, Captain Nemo comes at #10 in TROT Magazine's 2020 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book at odds of 30-1.
Owned by Canadians Marvin Katz of Toronto, Ont. and Brad Grant of Milton, Ont. as well as Brittany Farms LLC and Captain Kirk Racing of Versailles, Ky., $400,000 yearling Captain Nemo (Captaintreacherous - Hana Hanover) was winless in five starts as a freshman but never finished worse than second and was beaten by more than a length just once. Two of the horses that defeated him -- stablemate and O'Brien Award finalist Capt Midnight and Major Betts -- took sub-1:50 marks as two-year-olds.
A son of 2013 North America Cup winner Captaintreacherous, Captain Nemo is trained by his sire's trainer, Tony Alagna. Trot Insider touched base with Alagna, currently on an extended stay in Florida, for an update on the pacing colt ahead of his sophomore campaign.
You shut down Captain Nemo early. What was the reason?
"He showed some colt soreness so we decided to put him away and bring him back for his three-year-old year. We gave him plenty of time; he had his layoff at Brittany Farms and came to us in the middle of January.
Have you noticed any changes from when he was stopped with to where he's at now?
"He got a little bit taller, a little bit longer. He was always a perfect, medium-sized horse and he's kind of stayed that way. He got a bit more muscle to him and a little more maturity."
Where are you at with him training-wise now?
"[As of April 12] He's been a mile in 2:05."
I think it says quite a bit about the horse that TROT put him in the top 10 of the Spring Book despite the fact that he was winless in five starts as a two-year-old.
"He was a just a nose short of beating his stablemate Capt Midnight in 49 and change in the Dream Maker -- they were right on the wire together --so he was just a nose short of having a two-year-old mark of 49 and change."
What makes him such a talented horse?
"He's got a very efficient gait, he's got a great attitude...he's got a lot of characteristics that will make him a very competitive horse in the three-year-old division."
What is he staked to outside of the North America Cup?
"He's fully staked. He's staked to the Hempt, Meadowlands Pace, Little Brown Jug, all the way through. He's eligible to every major three-year-old event."
When were you originally slated to head back north from Florida?
"The three-year-olds usually leave the first of April and head to [New] Jersey and then qualify around the first of May. Right now we're just in a holding pattern to see what shakes out."
How are you and your stable dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic?
"We're fairly isolated here on the farm. Sunshine Meadows has done a great job of making sure people are healthy and that there's no problems, making sure there's no visitors coming in at this time, just essential staff that works in the barns everyday."