by Karen Briggs, WEG Media

Discuss this story on Harnessphere.

Campbellville, ON — There was near-silence at the finish line as the unthinkable happened at Mohawk on Saturday night (September 6): champion Deweycheatumnhowe, and trainer/driver Ray Schnittker, tasted defeat for the first time in the horse’s stellar career in a C$40,000 elimination for the Canadian Trotting Classic.

New Image Media photo

Crazed upset Deweycheatumnhowe by three-quarters of a length in their Canadian Trotting Classic elimination.

Tim Tetrick played giant killer as he challenged ‘Dewey’ late in the stretch with Credit Winner son Crazed, inching up and catching him in the final steps before the wire. Crazed’s time for the win was 1:54.2. Atomic Hall and Steve Condren were third in the short field of six 3-year-olds.

Crazed snapped a 17-race win streak for Deweycheatumnhowe, a son of Muscles Yankee-Trolley Square who has earned more than $2 million for his connections and has both a Breeders Crown and a Hambletonian trophy in his collection.

Trained by Frank Antonacci, Crazed races for the Lindy Racing Stable, Gary and Ellen Hoffman, and Robert Rudolph.

Tetrick commented, “(At the) top of the lane I pulled first up and Dewey took off by three or four (lengths). I thought, I’ll just sit back in here, and my horse caught up to Dewey (so) late in the mile when I tipped him; he just responded really well for me.

“It’s a great story for Dewey — it’s too bad that he lost, but I’m glad that I was the one that beat him. Dewey’s a world champion, he’s going to show up next week (for the C$1 million Canadian Trotting Classic final), but my colt’s getting better and better, so he’s definitely got to be watched out for. He deserves a lot of respect; he proved that again tonight.”

Clerk Magistrate took command at the three-eighths marker and waved good-bye to his peers as he trotted to a 1-1/2 length victory in the second of two C$40,000 eliminations for the Canadian Trotting Classic.

New Image Media photo

Clerk Magistrate won his CTC elimination in 1:54 for Trevor Ritchie.

Sent off as the 8-5 second choice, Clerk Magistrate and Trevor Ritchie, and Celebrity Secret partnered with Tim Tetrick, swapped places for the lead before settling in with Celebrity Secret in front. Clerk Magistrate didn’t linger long, however, before pulling out of the pocket spot and surging to the lead.

Despite an anxious moment in the far turn where he drifted to the center of the racetrack, the son of Andover Hall-Weather Bird kept command of the seven horse field and kicked away by two lengths in the stretch, to win in 1:54. John Campbell sent Napoleon after the leader in the final strides but couldn’t get any closer than third, while Celebrity Secret settled for the place spot.

Ritchie commented, “He was doing everything wonderful and he was nice and relaxed, maybe too relaxed. He started to drift out for a second or two, I don’t really know what he was thinking. So I just hollered at him a little bit and he got back into the business.

“Ever since I’ve driven him he’s always given his best. He’s learned now that he can leave out of there a little bit, but he doesn’t have to — he actually likes to come off a helmet pretty good, so he’s turned into an all-around good horse.

“Until a horse gets beat, you never know how much is left in the tank,” Ritchie added regarding the first CTC elim, which destroyed the unbeaten streak of Deweycheatumnhowe. “Tonight (Dewey) got beat, for whatever reason, he maybe just had an off night — but once you see that they can get beat, you go after them a little harder.”

Clerk Magistrate is trained and co-owned by Per Henriksen and has scored seven wins in 18 lifetime starts. The win pushed his earnings over the C$500,000 mark and earned his connections the right to select his post position for next week’s C$1 million CTC final.

Clerk Magistrate will start from post two, with fellow elim winner Crazed on his immediate outside and Deweycheatumnhowe suffering the further indignity of having drawn post 10.