A final quarter sprint is what it boiled down to in order to crown a champion in this year's Kentucky Futurity, and Deweycheatumnhowe was packing just a bit more deep stretch heat than Celebrity Secret.

Ray Schnittker opted for the two-hole trip with Deweycheatumnhowe, who shadowed John Campbell and Celebrity Secret through tepid fractions of :30.2, 1:02 and 1:33.1.

Both gentlemen started their engines at the head of the lane, and it took a monster final quarter for Deweycheatumnhowe to haul down Celebrity Secret in the final strides.

Deweycheatumnhowe - Kentucky Futurity

"Every time he races I say he can't get better, but it does get better every time he races," said co-owner Frank Baldassare, who is a partner in the Deweycheatumnhowe Stable. "He's the greatest horse I've ever seen. Ray has a tendency of getting our hearts going, mine is still going a hundred miles an hour. In the Hambletonian I said there were no concerns, but I must admit there were some concerns in the stretch today."

The victory gives Deweycheatumnhowe a 21-1-1 record in 23 starts for Schnittker and his partners, Ted Gewertz, Charles Iannazzo and the Deweycheatumnhowe Stable. The $136,800 "winner takes all" final heat purse bumped the colt's lifetime bankroll to $3,109,440.

(Photo courtesy of Nigel Soult)