Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
WA-bred four-year-old Crowd Control has recovered from health problems which dogged him last year, and he is now realising his full potential.
The Kim Prentice-trained Crowd Control was the $1.70 favourite from the No. 1 barrier in the $21,000 Trotsynd Pacing For The Podium Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Mitch Miller drove him with great confidence to an impressive all-the-way win over smart three-year-old and $2.75 second fancy Bet The House, rating 1.57.2 after final quarters of 27.6sec. and 28.1sec.
“He promised a lot as a two-year-old and then virtually through his entire three-year-old campaign he had nothing but health issues,” said Miller. “He was a real crook horse as a three-year-old, and now that he’s fit and healthy we should have a lot of fun with him.”
Prentice said that Crowd Control suffered from persistent problems with ulcers last year which required considerable treatment from veterinarians.
“At this stage he is okay,” said Prentice. “Hopefully, he will develop into a candidate for the big races for four-year-olds later this year. He is a nice horse who has been a cheap buy.”
Prentice outlaid $18,000 to purchase Crowd Control as a yearling who is raced by a syndicate of stable clients and has earned $137,421 from nine wins and 20 placings from 40 starts.
He is by American stallion Control The Moment and is the third foal out of Just Visiting, who had 25 starts for two wins (at Bunbury in 2015) and two placings for stakes of $10,398. Crowd Control’s elder half-brother is American Bullitt, who has raced 151 times for 12 wins and 43 placings for stakes of $192,655.
“I was a bit apprehensive about his gate speed tonight because we haven’t had many opportunities to use him off the arm,” said Miller. “But at his previous run he began fast (from barrier four) which gave me confidence. Once we got the 32.1sec. first quarter (after a slow lead time of 38.1sec.) I was happy, as long as I didn’t let anyone out. The only thing that could get him beaten was me.”