Catello Manzi

{{Short description|American harness racing driver and trainer}}

{{Infobox horseracing personality

|name = Catello Manzi

|image =

|caption =

|occupation = Harness racing driver, trainer

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|6|27}}

|birth_place = Monticello, New York, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|career wins = 14,812

|race = Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace (1983)
Hambletonian Oaks (1993)
U.S. Pacing Championship
(1994, 1997)
Kentucky Filly Futurity (1995)
Maple Leaf Trot (1996)
William R. Haughton Memorial Pace
(1998, 2005)
Woodrow Wilson Pace (2000)
Dexter Cup (2003)
North America Cup (2004)
Meadowlands Pace (2006)

U.S. Pacing Triple Crown wins:

Cane Pace (1996)

U.S. Trotting Triple Crown wins:

Yonkers Trot (1994, 2003, 2007)

|awards = Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year (2005)

|honours = United States Harness Racing & Hall of Fame (2002) [http://www.harnessmuseum.com/content/catello-manzi Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame]

|horses = Beat The Wheel, Mantacular, Riyadh, Sugar Trader, Winky's Goal Runner

|updated = October 23, 2016

}}

Catello R. Manzi (born June 27, 1950) is an American harness racing driver and trainer. Manzi's nickname is 'Catman'.[http://www.harness-racing.org/trivia.html Harness Racing trivia]

Born in Monticello, New York, Manzi grew up in Sullivan County, New York, in a harness-racing family. His father Alfonso was a horse trainer.[http://exa.gmnews.com/news/2002-07-04/Sports/031.html Cat Manzi to be inducted into Harness Hall of Fame] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130124071117/http://exa.gmnews.com/news/2002-07-04/Sports/031.html |date=2013-01-24 }} He drove his first race at Monticello Raceway in the late 1960s. Manzi's first career win came at Pocono Downs in 1969.[http://nt.gmnews.com/news/2003-11-26/Sports/059.html Cat Manzi joins a select group of harness drivers] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130124194734/http://nt.gmnews.com/news/2003-11-26/Sports/059.html |date=2013-01-24 }}

In 1974 Manzi set a Monticello Raceway record for most wins by a driver.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oFNRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qzMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3770,93942&dq=catello+manzi&hl=en Catello Manzi top driver]

The 1994 Yonkers Trot winner, Bullsville Victory, was driven by Manzi.[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/10/sports/horse-racing-22-1-shot-at-yonkers.html Horse Racing; 22-1 Shot at Yonkers] Manzi also drove Sugar Trader to victory in the 2003 Yonkers Trot.[https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/24/sports/plus-harness-racing-sugar-trader-wins-yonkers-trot.html Plus: Harness Racing; Sugar Trader Wins Yonkers Trot] The Yonkers Trot is the second leg of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters.

On May 27, 1999, Manzi suffered serious injuries in a spill at Freehold Raceway.[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=APAB&d_place=APAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F8A160A00311BDE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Three harness drivers injured when horses collide]

Manzi was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in July 2002.[https://archive.today/20120701183237/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2002-07-05/sports/18210832_1_meadowlands-pace-harness-hall-harness-racing-hall Manzi Dashes To Harness Hall]

On December 31, 2005 at the age of 55, Manzi became the oldest harness driver to lead North America in victories.[https://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2005-12-31-manzi-record_x.htm Harness driver Cat Manzi, 55, concludes record season]

For two decades Manzi would drive afternoon races at Freehold Raceway, go home to eat dinner, then drive more races in the evening at Meadowlands Racetrack.[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/11njcol.html The Catman of the Meadowlands (and Freehold)]

Manzi drove his 14,000th career winner on December 14, 2010 at Yonkers Raceway.[http://xwebapp.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/templates/article.aspx?articleid=40431&zoneid=1 Cat Manzi wins number 14,000] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034627/http://xwebapp.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/templates/article.aspx?articleid=40431&zoneid=1 |date=2016-03-04 }} At the time, Hervé Filion and Dave Palone were the only other harness horse drivers to have 14,000 or more career winners.

On March 28, 2014, Manzi announced his retirement from driving following two bad accidents. The first, on September 6, 2013 at Freehold Raceway, left Manzi with a fractured pelvis. After recovering, he returned to racing only to be injured again when the starting car at Freehold Raceway lost control and collided with several drivers and horses on January 10, 2014. At the time of his retirement, Manzi was ranked third all-time for wins at 14,812, and fifth all-time in earnings at $158.5 million.[http://www.harnessracing.com/news/catmanziretiresfromdriving.html Cat Manzi retires from driving]