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Saturday, Oct. 04, 2008

Red Mile: Futurity turns teacher, student into rivals

Crazed, 'Dewey' make rivals out of friends

Standardbred trainer Frank Antonacci Jr. has watched his mentor, Ray Schnittker, plan the strategy for 2008's leading 3-year-old trotter.

In the 116th Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile Saturday, Antonacci will try to upset that strategy when he sends his colt Crazed against Schnittker's Deweycheatumnhowe in the third leg of trotting's Triple Crown.

Deweycheatumnhowe is the 9-5 favorite, capable of setting a world record and staying in contention for harness racing's Horse of the Year honors. He has 19 victories in 20 career starts and close to $2.8 million in earnings.

Antonacci has followed Dewey's career through Schnittker.

"When I started training, he has always been a great help," Antonacci, 24, said. "We've shared a barn and worked our horses together. I get his opinion on a lot of things.

"Professionally, it's great for both of us. As far as our friendship, it's great also."

The trainers will be rivals on Saturday.

Antonacci is counting on Crazed's half-length runner-up finish to Dewey in the Hambletonian.

"(Crazed) was gaining the last eighth of a mile, and I thought he would eventually be able to get him," Antonacci said. "(Crazed) has a tremendous turn of speed. If he gets a position like that, it will be hard for any other horse to stay with him."

Crazed has the No. 4 post position in the first heat, the ninth race on the final day of the Grand Circuit meet. Dewey will start from the No. 10 spot.

The 10 horses can return for the 12th race. Separate winners would meet in the 15th race. The Futurity purse is $684,000.

Winner of the Hambletonian on Aug. 2, Dewey isn't eligible for the Triple Crown because he bypassed the Yonkers Trot. He also cannot pursue an undefeated career.

Antonacci's Crazed took care of that in an elimination heat of the Canadian Trotting Classic on Sept. 6, winning by three-quarters of a length. Dewey won the Classic finals a week later. Crazed was third.

Dewey, named for a comedy skit featuring the fictitious law firm of Dewey, Cheatem & Howe, has the confidence of Schnittker behind him.

"He's undefeated here," Schnittker, who also co-owns and drives Dewey, told the U.S. Trotting Association. "He should be real good. I can't imagine him throwing in a clunker."

Dewey might go after the world record of Futurity winner Donato Hanover and Giant Diablo, who turned in times of 1:501⁄5 within a couple of hours of each other last year.

"If you go fast enough to the three-quarters, you've got a shot (at the record)," Schnittker said. "But I'm just basically focused on winning the race."

Notes

■ Somebeachsomewhere will try to break his record of the fastest mile in harness racing history in a division of the Tattersalls Pace.

The 3-year-old pacer turned in a 1:464⁄5 mile in a Bluegrass Stakes division Sept. 27, tying the record set by Holborn Hanover in 2006.

Somebeachsomewhere will start from the No. 3 post in the 11th race.

Art Official, the only pacer to defeat "The Beach," has a 1:47 lifetime best and is entered in the 13th race.

■ Celebrity Farms will donate a percentage of its winnings from Celebrity Secret's participation in the Futurity.

Proceeds will benefit the Chris Vasiliou Memorial Foundation. He died from vasculitis, a rare, incurable disease.