from Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

Freehold, NJ — Trainer Frank Antonacci, Jr. was obviously pleased with Crazed’s win in his Canadian Trotting Classic elimination against Deweycheatumnhowe on September 6. Crazed, owned by the Antonacci family’s Lindy Racing, Gary and Ellen Hoffman, and Robert Rudolph, snapped Dewey’s career-long 17-race victory streak.

“He was super. I couldn’t be happier with him,” the 24-year-old trainer said on Monday. “He’s just been getting better and better. I didn’t know how much better he could get, and he just keeps stepping up every week. It’s amazing.”

Crazed stopped Deweycheatumnhowe in their Canadian Trotting Classic elimination.

Crazed has six victories in eight starts this year and $701,550 in earnings. He was coming off a 5-1/4 length win over Celebrity Secret (another CTC finalist) in the $500,000 Colonial on August 17 at Harrah’s Chester. On August 2, Crazed finished second to Deweycheatumnhowe in the $1.5 million Hambletonian, losing by a half-length.

“Dewey is a truly great champion,” Antonacci said. “You never know if you’re going to be able to go by him, because nobody had until Saturday night. He’s really a great horse and great horses will do only what they need to do to beat everybody. So, I was never really sure if we would be able to do it or not. Now, it’s a different story. It’s happened once and I hope we can do it again.”

Crazed will start the CTC final from post three, a spot selected by his connections, which was the reward for being an elimination winner. Deweycheatumnhowe got post 10 in the random draw.

“Picking your post takes one of the variables out that can really mess you up,” Antonacci said. “Seeing Dewey get the 10 hole afterward, we were pretty grateful we got to pick our post. It was a great elimination race for him (Crazed). The fact he was able to win and look good doing it was icing on the cake.”

Clerk Magistrate is judged fit

Trainer Per Henriksen said his colt Clerk Magistrate was none the worse for wear after a recent lengthy road trip. Clerk Magistrate traveled from his base in Ontario to win the American-National at Chicago’s Balmoral Park on August 23, then to Du Quoin for a third-place finish to Deweycheatumnhowe in the World Trotting Derby, then back home to win his elimination for the Canadian Trotting Classic on September 6.

“No, rather the opposite, I think,” Henriksen said. “He got two such nice trips down there. He won so easy at Balmoral, never even had to talk to him and then he couldn’t go anywhere at Du Quoin (the horse was trapped along the rail in deep stretch and could not advance). He was as good (on Saturday) as he’s ever been, I think.”

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Clerk Magistrate was a 1:54 winner in his CTC elimination last Saturday.

Henriksen said Clerk Magistrate rolls with the punches and never misses a speck of his meals due to stress. Clerk Magistrate has won six of 15 races this year and earned $495,427. In addition to the American-National, the colt won the Goodtimes at Mohawk in June and was third in the Stanley Dancer Memorial.

“He’s a pretty big horse,” Henriksen said. “He doesn’t care about anything. He eats everything you give him. If anything, we’ve got to go back on his feed or he’s going to gain too much.”

Deweycheatumnhowe, who suffered the first loss of his career in the CTC elim when beaten by Crazed, will start from post 10 in the final. Dewey’s starting position might not have much impact on the way the race would ordinarily develop.

“Have you ever seen Ray not leave? He probably still thinks he’s the best and he wants to be close to the front,” Henriksen said. “He doesn’t want a traffic problem. I think, as we saw the other day, he might not be good enough to come first over and win it.

“I think Timmy (Tetrick, driving Crazed) is going to leave of course and somebody else is going to take a pot shot in there, too, I would assume. I’m not so sure (Clerk Magistrate) needs a trip. I think my horse is very, very good right now. We’ll see how it is, but it would not surprise me if he was on the front or close to the front. If he’s got to come first over, he’ll come first over. That’s what you’ve got to do; he doesn’t care much about positions, my horse.”

Henriksen dispelled the oft-quoted belief the racing surface at Mohawk comes with shoeing needs unique to that track with horses needing more traction than usual. He does not change his shoeing with the racetrack.

“If I have a horse that goes good with something, I don’t change it, wherever I go,” he said. “That works for me, but if it doesn’t work for other people, it doesn’t work for them. I know people that put grabs and borium and whatever on a horse when they come up to Canada. I’ve got the same shoes I had at Balmoral and that I had at the Meadowlands.”

Below is the field in post position order, with listed drivers and trainers, for Saturday’s C$1 million Canadian Trotting Classic at Mohawk Racetrack. The connections of elim winners Crazed and Clerk Magistrate selected their posts; the others were drawn.

Horse-2008 Record-Driver-Trainer
McCarron-12-2-3-3-$111,850-1:58s-T. Ritchie-M. Steacy
Clerk Magistrate-15-6-3-3-$495,427-1:53.2-T. Ritchie-P. Henriksen
Crazed-8-6-1-1-$701,550-1:52.2-T. Tetrick-F. Antonacci Jr.
Velocity Hall-13-2-2-2-$90,797-Q1:56.3-J. Jamieson-J. Czernyson
Napoleon-11-5-0-2-$410,781-1:53-J. Campbell-M.Vanderkemp
Nureyev-12-0-3-3-$85,813-Q2:00.3s-P. MacDonell-W. Companion
Atomic Hall-11-1-1-2-$88,922-1:54-S. Condren-T. Smedshammer
B Strike Three-11-6-1-2-$280,699-1:53.4f-R. Zeron-G. Mackenzie
Celebrity Secret-12-4-5-0-$611,600-1:54-T. Tetrick-S. Lind
Deweycheatumnhowe-8-7-1-0-$1.3 mil-1:50.4-R. Schnittker