After making her 2019 qualifying debut last week, Shartin N made a statement with her second qualifying effort of the season on Thursday (February 21) at Dover Downs.
With regular pilot Tim Tetrick in tow, Shartin sat third in a group of six and allowed older pacer Major Uptrend (Tony Morgan) to carve out preliminary fractions of :28.4 and :57.1. Tetrick then sent the six-year-old mare to pressure the pacesetter, advancing first over while just a half-length off the lead at the 1:25.1 third station. Shartin then unleashed a wicked final fraction of :26.4 to open up an eight-length lead at the head of the stretch that widened to more than 13 at the wire. The mile was timed in 1:52.
"She was super," Tetrick told Trot Insider after the qualifier. "Qualified as good as could be. Super happy with her."
A daughter of Tintin In America out of Bagdarin, Shartin N is owned by Richard Poillucci and Jo Ann Looney-King, and trained by Jim King, Jr.
Harness racing's top older pacing mare from 2018, Shartin N became the first pacing mare to earn $1 million (USD) in a season, finishing the year with $1.09 million thanks to 19 wins in 24 races. The New Zealand-bred mare joins Hall of Famer and two-time Dan Patch winner Cardigan Bay as the only “Down Under” imports to win divisional honours.
Shartin N’s 2018 wins included the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series championship, Roses Are Red, Breeders Crown, Lady Liberty, TVG Series Mare championship, Artiscape, Betsy Ross Invitational, Chip Noble Memorial, and Allerage Farms Mare Pace. She also finished the year with a five-race win streak.
That win streak that will look to be extended in the upcoming weeks before the 2019 edition of the Blue Chip Matchmaker, slated to kick off on Friday, March 15 at Yonkers Raceway. Tetrick noted that the connections will looking to find a spot for Shartin N to make her 2019 pari-mutuel debut before that series.
Stablemate Newborn Sassy, a horse that Tetrick co-owns with Looney-King, also qualified in preparation for a possible appearance in the Matchmaker. In her first effort of the season, the six-year-old pacing millionairess was a gate-to-wire winner in 1:54.3.
"Sassy was really good too, but Shartin was all that and a bag of chips," said Tetrick with a smile.
Shartin N is expected to be the main competition for Canada's Horse of the Year, McWicked at the 2018 Dan Patch Awards banquet this Sunday (February 24) at Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, Fla.. The U.S. Trotter, Pacer, and Horse of the Year will be announced on Sunday night. Tetrick gives the edge to McWicked but feels Shartin is just as worthy.
"[McWicked] didn't dominate his group the whole year," said Tetrick. "[Shartin N] did, from start of the year to the end, on all sized tracks, and did things no other horse has."
No NZ horse has ever been
No NZ horse has ever been named HOTY in the USA or in Canada and those streaks most likely won't end this weekend, however, Shartin will undoubtedly receive more votes for the award than any previous horse from New Zealand.