Catello R. Manzi (born June 27, 1950) is an American

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

driver and trainer. Manzi's nickname is 'Catman'. Born in

Monticello, New York Monticello ( ) is a village located in Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2020 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan Count ...

, Manzi grew up in

Sullivan County, New York Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624. The county seat is Monticello. The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in the Am ...

, in a harness-racing family. His father Alfonso was a horse trainer. He drove his first race at

Monticello Raceway Monticello Gaming and Raceway is a harness racing track and racino in Monticello, Sullivan County, New York. It is off Exit 104 of Route 17 (future Interstate 86), on New York State Route 17B. The racetrack is nicknamed "The Mighty M" and races ...

in the late 1960s. Manzi's first career win came at

Pocono Downs Mohegan Pennsylvania (formerly Mohegan Sun Pocono, Pocono Downs and Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs) is a racino located in Plains Township on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The casino features over 2,300 slots, live tables for blackj ...

in 1969. In 1974 Manzi set a Monticello Raceway record for most wins by a driver. The 1994

Yonkers Trot The Yonkers Trot is a harness racing event for three-year-old Standardbred trotters raced at a distance of one mile at Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York. The race was created in 1955 to join the Hambletonian and the Kentucky Futurity to form ...

winner, Bullsville Victory, was driven by Manzi. Manzi also drove Sugar Trader to victory in the 2003 Yonkers Trot. The Yonkers Trot is the second leg of the

Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters Triple Crown is a combination of three major races in harness racing. The term ''Triple Crown'' is mostly used in the US, but also in France. The term is also used in thoroughbred racing. United States The Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trott ...

. On May 27, 1999, Manzi suffered serious injuries in a spill at

Freehold Raceway Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, and is the oldest racetrack in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was for ...

. Manzi was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in July 2002. On December 31, 2005 at the age of 55, Manzi became the oldest harness driver to lead North America in victories. 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 The Meadowlands Racetrack (currently referred to as Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment) is a horse racing track at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness ...

. Manzi drove his 14,000th career winner on December 14, 2010 at

Yonkers Raceway Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New Y ...

. At the time,

Hervé Filion Hervé Arthur Filion, (February 1, 1940 – June 22, 2017) was a Canadian harness racing driver. He was the brother of Yves Filion who drove and trained the 1988 North America Cup winner; and the brother of Henri Filion (1941–1997) who die ...

and

Dave Palone David M. Palone (born February 26, 1962, in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania) is an American harness racing trainer and driver. Palone became interested in harness racing after his father took him to watch the Adios Pace in 1976. A year later he went t ...

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

, 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.Cat Manzi retires from driving
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References

External links

United States Trotting Association Catello Manzi Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manzi, Catello 1950 births Living people American harness racers United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees People from Freehold Township, New Jersey People from Monticello, New York Sportspeople from the New York metropolitan area