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, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

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

Monticello, New York Monticello ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village located in Thompson, New York, Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States. It is the seat for the town of Thompson, and the county ...

, 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 th ...

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

Monticello Raceway Monticello Raceway is a harness racing track and former casino in Monticello, New York. It is owned and operated by Empire Resorts. The racetrack is nicknamed "The Mighty M" and races standardbred horse races during the afternoons year-round. ...

in the late 1960s. Manzi's first career win came at Pocono Downs in 1969. In 1974 Manzi set a Monticello Raceway record for most wins by a driver. The 1994 Yonkers Trot 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 In the United States, the Trotting Triple Crown is a series of three major harness races for three-year-old Standardbred trotters. It consists of the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot, and the Kentucky Futurity. It was inaugurated in 1955 with th ...

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

Freehold Raceway Freehold Raceway was a half-mile () harness racetrack in Freehold, New Jersey. At the time of its closure in December 2024, it was the oldest racetrack in the United States. History Horse races have been taking place at Freehold Raceway sin ...

. 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, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The track hosts both tho ...

. 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, Ne ...

. At the time,

Hervé Filion Hervé Arthur Filion, (February 1, 1940 – June 22, 2017) was a Canadians, Canadian Harness racing, 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 Filio ...

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

, 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 Sportspeople from Freehold Township, New Jersey People from Monticello, New York Sportspeople from the New York metropolitan area