The world’s fastest Standardbred mare and Kiwi bred superstar, Shartin, is looking to make more history for New Zealand in this Sunday’s North American Breeders Crown finals at Mohawk in Canada.
Bred by Grant Crabbe in Canterbury, the daughter of Tintin In America will seek to defend her title in the Breeders Crown Open Mares Final this weekend, after last year becoming the first ever New Zealand bred to win a Crown final.
She made history too when she became the first mare in America to surpass $1million in stakes in a single year, and looks set to repeat that effort in 2019 with $848,000 banked already.
Shartin has put forward yet another stellar season in the northern hemisphere, tallying 14 wins and 1 second from just 16 starts this year alone.
This has seen her leading the US Harness Writers Poll since she started racing in January, and despite this poll not determining Dan Patch Horse of the Year awards, it is a fair indicator of her dominance when pitched against horses form all ages, gait and sexes in America.
Included in those victories has been her world record shattering win in the Lady Liberty on Hambletonian Day at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, where the mare treated her rivals with contempt to bolt home in a new fastest ever time for a female Standardbred of 1.46.4 for co-owner and driver, Tim Tetrick.
Combine that with her outstanding overall career record (across Australia, Canada and the USA) of 53 starts, 40 wins and 5 seconds for US$2,097,558 and you can see why they are using her picture in Times Square in New York now as the pin up girl for harness racing.
Despite never racing in an official race in New Zealand, Shartin was undefeated in two workout races here, and has a 3yo full brother and a half-brother by A Rocknroll Dance waiting in the wings with Crabbe here in New Zealand.
Shartin’s $300,000 Breeders Crown Final will be held at 12.26pm on Sunday New Zealand time.
She has drawn perfectly in post one, and co-owner and regular driver Tim Tetrick will guide the hot favourite yet again on race day for trainer Jim King.
King’s step-daughter, Heather Vitale, is a racing presenter in the United States and last year was present at the NZ Cup Eve Breeders function, to present Grant Crabbe with the Breeders Crown trophy Shartin had won.
Heather will again return to New Zealand this November, this time to attend the Kaikoura Trotting Club’s two day meeting and then the New Zealand Cup meeting the following week. She will cover the meetings via social media, and promote the race meetings to her thousands of fans around the world.
Vitale hopes to be able to present Crabbe with yet another Breeders Crown trophy to his ever growing list of breeder’s accolades.
Fellow Kiwi-bred mare Kaitlyn will also feature in Shartin’s event, and has not drawn as ideally out in post five. The daughter of American Ideal won two races here in New Zealand for Penny Fensom, before being exported to the USA in April 2018.
Dexter Dunn will too be seeking another good night at the office, after he was dominant during the eliminations at Mohawk last weekend. He drove six winners on the night, remarkably of which five were Crown eliminations.
Dunn will also drive Bettors Wish for expat Kiwi trainer Chris Ryder, in the eagerly anticipated 3YO Colts and Geldings Final on Sunday.
Ryder conversely has been experiencing great success in New Zealand as an owner recently, as part owner of Dominion Handicap favourite, Oscar Bonavena.
The Breeders Crown from Woodbine Mohawk Park in Canada can be viewed from 12noon Sunday at the following link https://woodbine.com/mohawk/watch-races/
Please note the 2YO Breeders Crown Final events are held on Saturday NZ Time at Mohawk also.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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