It's Derby Day in Du Quoin
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ In his first stakes appearance since the August 2 Hambletonian,
Deweycheatumnhowe is the 2-1 favorite and will start from post five with his
trainer-driver and co-owner, Ray Schnittker, in the sulky for Saturday¹s
World Trotting Derby at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
Dewey comes in to the race with earnings of $1,968,246; if he finishes fifth
or better, he will eclipse the $2 million mark.
When Schnittker was asked about trying to set a new world trotting speed
mark. Tom Ridge did it at Du Quoin in 2005.
"Nobody cares about records. I just want to get the win and come out of it
good. I¹ll probably leave out of there a little bit and try to get a good
trip for my horse."
The favorite is owned by the Deweycheatumnhowe Stable, Ted Gewertz, Charles
Iannazzo, and Schnittker.
Seven other 3-year-old trotting colts will take on Dewey, including the
recent American-National Stakes winner, Clerk Magistrate, who won that race
in a career-best 1:53.2.
Celebrity Secret, second to Crazed in the $500,000 Colonial Stakes on Aug.
17 at Harrah¹s Chester Downs, has post two, with Tim Tetrick driving.
Celebrity Secret was fourth in the Hambletonian to Dewey, and also second to
him in the Dancer Memorial on July 19 at The Meadowlands. He¹s the second
highest money earner in the field, with $758,926.
ABC Mercedes will ship to Illinois from the neighboring state of Indiana,
where he has won 17-straight races, dating back to 2007, all Indiana Sire
Stakes.
The World Trotting Derby - Purse $565,000
1 - In Focus - Jimmy Takter - 6-1
2 - Celebrity Secret - Tim Tetrick - 5-1
3 - Big Boy Lloyd - Mike Oosting - 8-1
4 - Gallantly - Michel Lachance - 8-1
5 - Deweycheatumnhowe - Ray Schnittker - 2-1
6 - ABC Mercedes - Mark O¹Mara - 10-1
7 - Gliding Image - Dave Magee - 12-1
8 - Clerk Magistrate - Trevor Ritchie 7-2
WTD FILLY DIVISION
Lantern Kronos, with her trainer Jimmy Takter driving, was the two and a
quarter length winner of the $166,000 World Trotting Derby for three
year-old fillies on Friday afternoon at the DuQuoin (Illinois) State Fair in
a time of 1:53, a new career mark.
Takter was content to trot along in eighth place through much of the mile,
while Princessndiamonds (Mike Oosting) was first to the lead, hitting the
quarter mile mark in :26.3, with Diana Hall (Dave Magee) behind her. Just
past the quarter, Magee had Diana Hall on the move to the lead and held it
to the :54.4 half. By the 1:24.3 three quarters, Morgun¹s Sweetheart (Tim
Tetrick) was off the rail and on the lead on the outside momentarily.
As the field turned to the homestretch, Takter and Lantern Kronos went wide
around the latter part of the turn to the middle of the track to snag the
lead and those two trotted away from the field to win.
Poster Pin Up (Dale Hiteman) went three wide at the three quarters to be
second. Two Nts With Her (Andy Miller) crossed the line in third but was
disqualified and placed eighth for interference. Saorse (Mike Lachance) was
placed third and supplement Morgun¹s Sweetheart was fifth placed fourth.
Takter was prepared to bide his time before the race even started.
" I didn¹t want to leave out of there because I had a feeling they would go fast
to the half,² he said. "They always do here. I had a stopwatch and I had
:55.3 to the half on my watch maybe, it¹s hard to see. But I know we went
fast enough that they would come back to me very fast and I made a move on
the last turn. She still had the earplugs in at the end."