Ray Schnittker always said that Deweycheatumnhowe was a better horse racing from off the pace, and the hulking son of Muscles Yankee had a chance to back up that statement in what turned out to be a breathtaking first-heat battle in today's 116th edition of the Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile.
Deweycheatumnhowe, who got away ninth in the 10-horse field, watched Define The World and driver Paul MacDonell chop out a :27.1 opening quarter before coming under attack from Crazed and Tim Tetrick, who brushed to command past the mid-way point in :55.1.
Deweycheatumnhowe - Heat 1
Crazed continued to hold the lead around the final turn and he proceeded to take the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:24.1. Deweycheatumnhowe, in the meantime, was still sitting next to last. Horses fanned out seven-wide at the head of the lane, and it took a Herculean effort for Deweycheatumnhowe to catapult his way to the lead.
It took the photo-finish camera to separate Deweycheatumnhowe from Clerk Magistrate, who was a rallying runner-up for driver Trevor Ritchie. The other Ray Schnittker trainee, Make It Happen, was third for driver Brian Sears.
Cloud Casino (4th), Celebrity Secret (5th), Crazed (6th), Define The World (7th), Big Apple Deli (8th), Holiday Credit (9th) and Guida Muscle (10th) rounded out the field.
The final two finishers opted to scratch from the second heat of the Kentucky Futurity, which goes as Race 12 later this afternoon.
With the victory, Deweycheatumnhowe boasts a 10-1-0 record in 11 starts this season. His lifetime record stands at 20-1-0 in 21 starts for Schnittker and partners Ted Gewertz, Charles Iannazzo and the Deweycheatumnhowe Stable. The lion's share of the purse lifted the colt's career bankroll to $2,937,480.
(Photo courtesy of Nigel Soult)