What can be assumed to be one of the best bred pacing fillies in the world was foaled on Sunday, Feb. 13 when world champion and 2019 U.S. Harness Horse of the Year, Shartin N, gave birth to a filly sired by world champion and two-time U.S. Pacer of the Year, Captaintreacherous.

Ola Yoder, owner of Kountry Lane Standardbreds, LLC of Indiana purchased Shartin N for an undisclosed sum in December 2020 and had her bred to Captaintreacherous. 

“I’m tickled pink with Shartin N’s filly,” said Yoder. “When I first saw a photo of the foal, I told them he’s a nice-looking colt. Then they told me it’s a filly and that made it even better.

“Shartin will again be bred to Captaintreacherous,” said Yoder. “He produces some great racehorses. I’m pretty excited about all of this. I’ve put together a pretty nice string of top mares and I look forward to seeing their foals develop and then go in the big yearling sales.”

Shartin N gave birth Sunday at Beth and Doug Yontz’s Anvil and Lace Farm in Kentucky. That has been home for Shartin N.

“The filly was born at around 1 a.m. February 13,” said Beth Yontz. “It was a textbook foaling. She was just perfect and she loves her baby.

“It has been very exciting to be part of the process,” Yontz explained about breeding and foaling world champion Shartin N. “I’m just so happy that everything went smoothly and that she’s such a good mother.”

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Agent Dean Miller, who bought the mare from Richard Poillucci and sold it to Yoder, said it was a tough two weeks.

“She was overdue,” said Miller. “And all of us were on pins and needles for two weeks until Sunday.

Shartin N, the 2019 U.S. Dan Patch Harness Horse of the Year and the fastest pacing mare in history, had a glittering harness racing career. The world champion mare won 46 of her 68 lifetime starts and $2,667,563 in purses -- an average of $39,228 per start -- and took a world record lifetime mark of 1:46.4.

She clocked an amazing 20 winning miles in 1:50 or better.

Bred in New Zealand, Shartin N did not race at age two and commenced her career in Australia as a three-year-old, winning seven races and $105,718 in purses including the Queensland and Tasmanian Oaks.

Following her defeating Victorian Horse of the Year, Jilliby Kung Fu 1:48.4 ($529,710), at Melton in 2017, when Shartin N sat parked out the entire trip and won in a class record 1:52.5 mile rate over 1,720 meters, she was bought by leading New Zealand bloodstock agent John Curtin on behalf of U.S. owner Richard Poillucci of South Easton, Massachusetts.

Poillucci would then take on partners JoAnn Looney King of Delaware and later down the road, driver Tim Tetrick of Delaware.

Ironically, Shartin N’s foal was delivered on February 13, which also happens to be Richard Poillucci’s birthday.

In 2021, Captaintreacherous ranked first among Two-Year-Old Pacing Money-Winning Sires in North America with $3,448,224 earned and third among Three-Year -Old Pacing Leading Money-Winning Sires with $4,558,553 earned. 

Captaintreacherous is also the sire of both 2021 Dan Patch Older Pacers of the Year, Allywag Hanover (Anderosa Hanover by The Panderosa) p,1:46.4 $1,280,995, and Lyons Sentinel (Tutu Hanover by Western Ideal) p,1:48 $2,182,552.

As with all of the top mares that Ola Yoder has, their foals will be sold at auctions. It will be a great contest to see how much Shartin N’s Captaintreacherous filly will bring.

(With files from Steve Wolf Consulting)