frank j. antonacci
Frank Antonacci fell in love with Harness Racing in the 1960s. He was a partner with his first cousin, Guy "Sonny" Antonacci and the Lomangino family in the Long Island-based Lindy Farm, Inc. One of the first horses the partnership purchased was Lindy's Pride, 3,1:57.3 ($396,209). Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, this great racehorse, in 1969, won the Trotting Triple Crown and was named Trotter of the Year. Lindy's Pride sired two world trotting record-holding sons. They were Lindy's Crown, 1:54.4 and Cornstalk, 1:53.4. When Lindy Farm relocated to Somersville, Connecticut, Frank remained in Long Island, and with his brother Thomas established the Crown Stable.
The first horse the newly formed Crown Stable purchased was Speedy Crown, 3,1:57.1 ($545,495). He was an unraced Speedy Scot colt purchased from trainer Howard Beissinger. who had originally named him Headin And Heelin after a popular rodeo event. Renamed Speedy Crown, he was the first trotter to be inducted into the harness racing's Living Horse Hall of Fame. This great race horse, premier member of the Crown Stable, won the 1971 Hambletonia. He ended his sophomore season with 15 wins from 24 starts and was named Trotter of the Year. In 1972 he won the American Trotting Championship and the International Trot at Roosevelt Raceway and captured Four-Year-Old Trotter of the Year honors. Retired as the sixth richest trotting stallion in history, with total earnings of $545,495, Speedy Crown ranks as the third leading moneywining sire of all time from 1989 through 2001. He was considered one of the world's dominant trotting sires. Through the 2005 season, total winnings of Speedy Crown's offspring were nearly $111 million. He has produced seven $1 million winners, among whom are Armbro Goal 3,1:54.3 ($1.442 million) and the "Queen of Trotting" and 2006 Living Horse Hall of Famer Moni Maker, 7,1:52.1 ($5.589 million).
Frank J. Antonacci has owned in partnership three Hambletonian winners: Lindy's Pride (1969), Speedy Crown (1971) and the Victory Dream, 3,1:53.2 ($1.017 million) (1994). The latter was bred by Crown Stable and owned by Frank Antonacci's F. A. Stable in partnership with the Victory Dream Stable.
Other significant horses in the Crown Stable have been 1984 Harness Horse of the Year Fancy Crown 2,T1:55.4; 3,1:53.4 ($911,965), the Lindy's Pride-Speedy Toe foal Lindy's Crown, 4,1:54.4 ($262,048) and Joie De Vie 3,1:56.3 ($1.017 million).
Frank J. Antonacci and "Sonny" Antonacci, considered to be among the leading owners of trotters in North America, were both inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame on July 2, 2000.
Frank Antonacci passed away in Lindenhurst, New York on January 12, 2004 at the age of 75.
Published in the Harness Racing Museum's "The 2003-2005 Immortals" (2006)