frank antonacci
Born in Brooklyn, New York on November 17, 1954, Frank Antonacci, known as “Frank the Elder,” is a second-generation member from one of harness racing’s most famous and successful families. The family initially began operating Lindy Farms, a Standardbred farm located first in New York in partnership with the Lomangino family, and then in Connecticut, where its alumni would begin with champion trotter Lindy’s Pride 3,1:57.3 ($396,209).
Antonacci and his brother Jerry have operated Lindy Farms of Connecticut since its establishment as both a racing and breeding operation. The brothers Antonacci have either bred or owned numerous millionaires, including 2006 Hall of Famer Moni Maker 7,1:52.1 ($5,589,256), Lucky Chucky 3,1:50.4 ($2,099,973), Wild Honey 3,1:50.4 ($1,589,235), Lindy The Great 5,1:51.1s ($1,498,464), 2018 Hall of Famer Cantab Hall 3,1:54 ($1,442,303), Snow White 2,1:52.4 ($1,433,551), Mr. Feelgood p,5,1:49 ($1,259,599), Ready For Moni 4,1:50.3 ($1,204,068), Crazed 3,1:52.2 ($1,063,059), Harmonious 3,1:53.2 ($1,036,392) and Victory Dream 3,1:53.2 ($1,016,537), along with multiple world record holders.
Antonacci has won three Hambletonians, three Breeders Crowns, the Elitlopp and the Prix d’Amerique – not to mention the Little Brown Jug, Hambletonian Oaks, Canadian Trotting Classic, Colonial Trot, Peter Haughton Memorial, World Trotting Derby, Beacon Course, Nat Ray, Kentucky Filly Futurity, Valley Victory, Goldsmith Maid and Caesars Trotting Classic.
Stallions such as Cantab Hall, Crazed, Harmonious, International Moni, Lindy Lane, Victory Dream and Walner, along with many prized broodmares, have kept Lindy Farms’ breeding credentials high for years. Lindy Farms was also instrumental in developing the frozen semen market so that both North America and Europe could benefit from the best of each other’s horses.
An operating partner and owner of The Red Mile, an owner of Tattersalls Sale Company and a partner in Meadowlands Racetrack, Frank Antonacci has also served as a trustee of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall Of Fame since 2011, a director of the Hambletonian Society since 1993 and a director of the United States Trotting Association from 2001 to 2019. During the 1990s, amateur driver Antonacci was victorious in the CKG Billings Series.
His father Guy “Sonny” Antonacci and uncle Frank were inducted together into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2000.
The Antonacci Family Foundation of Lindy Farms was the recipient of the 2020 Service To Youth Award from the Harness Horse Youth Foundation for their “nearly unparalleled commitment” to the HHYF’s programs. Lindy Farms also received the United States Harness Writers Association’s 2021 Stan Bergstein Proximity Award.
Frank Antonacci is vice president of USA Hauling and Recycling, a commercial waste disposal company that serves the tri-state area of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. He resides in Somers, Connecticut.