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Saturday, January 4, 2020

2019 DAN PATCH PACING DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONS ANNOUNCED


From the United States Harness Writers Association

HARRISBURG PA – None of the six pacing divisional winners for the 2019 Dan Patch Awards were able to garner all the votes in their division, but three came close – pacing mare Shartin N and 3-year-old filly Warrawee Ubeaut were selected on all but two ballots and 3-year-old colt Bettor’s Wish saw only three votes go against him.

The remaining pacing divisional winners were 2-year-old colt Tall Dark Stranger, 2-year-old filly Lyons Sentinel, and 8-year-old stallion McWicked. The voting was conducted by the United States Harness Writers Association, the sport’s top media organization, along with the American Harness Racing Secretaries group.

Shartin N, Warrawee Ubeaut, and McWicked were repeat winners.

Among the females, we’ll follow the adage “age before beauty,” or in this case “Ubeaut,” and say first that 6-year-old Shartin N received 145 of the 147 votes, with late-season nemesis Caviart Ally getting the other two. Shartin N won 15 of 19 races, finished second three times, and earned $982,177. She became the fastest female in harness racing history with a 1:46.4 victory in the Lady Liberty at The Meadowlands. Other wins included the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series final, Roses Are Red, Golden Girls, and Artiscape.

Shartin N is a New Zealand-bred daughter of Tintin In America-Bagdarin, bred by G. J. Crabbe, trained by Jim King Jr., and driven by Tim Tetrick, who is co-owner through his Tim Tetrick LLC with Jo Ann Looney-King, Jim’s wife, and Richard Poillucci.

Three-year-old filly Warrawee Ubeaut also received 145 of the votes cast in her division; Tall Drink Hanover gathered the other two.

Warrawee Ubeaut had an eight-race win streak in the prime of the season, which included her Breeders Crown final, the Glen Garnsey Memorial, the Jugette, and her Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship. For the year, she won 12 of 19 races, finished off the board only twice, and earned $950,610.

A daughter of Sweet Lou-Great Memories, Warrawee Ubeaut was bred by Warrawee Farms and owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phillip Collura, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. She was trained by Ron Burke and driven by Yannick Gingras.

Bettor’s Wish drew 144 votes out of 147 after having a season with 13 wins and six seconds in 19 starts bring him the top earnings honor of all North American Standardbreds of $1.64 million. His victories included the Carl Milstein Memorial, Art Rooney Pace, a division of the Tattersalls Pace, the Matron, and Kentucky Sire Stakes championship.

The Bettor’s Delight-Lifetime Star colt was bred by Breeder of the Year Brittany Farms; owned by Bettors Wish Partners, Fair Island Farm Inc., Bella Racing Ltd., and trainer Chris Ryder; and driven by Driver of the Year Dexter Dunn.

McWicked, the 2018 Horse of the Year, won his third divisional crown at age 8, going along with his coronations at ages 3 and 7. He was involved in the closest vote among the pacers, winning 73-70 over Lather Up, who earlier in the season tied the 1:46 all-time record.

For the second year in a row and record-equaling third time in his career, McWicked posted a million-dollar season. He won six of 17 races and $1.03 million, with victories including the Jim Ewart Memorial, Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial, and Dan Rooney Invitational. The son of McArdle-Western Sahara was bred by Andray Farm, owned by S S G Stables, trained by Casie Coleman, and piloted by Brian Sears.

In contests among the 2-year-olds, the Captaintreacherous-Tutu Hanover filly Lyons Sentinel won by more than 100 votes over her nearest rival. Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms and owned by Threelyonsracing, Lyons Sentinel gave trainer Jim King Jr. and driver Tim Tetrick a second divisional winner among the pacing distaffs, as she earned $801,809 to top all other freshmen of either gait or sex.

Lyons Sentinel won nine of 14 races, with her victories including the She’s A Great Lady, her Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship, and Matron Stakes.

Tall Dark Stranger topped the 2-year-old colts and geldings, getting 86 votes to outdistance rival Papi Rob Hanover by 36. Tall Dark Stranger, a Bettor’s Delight colt out of Pacing Broodmare of the Year Precocious Beauty, had eight wins and a second in nine starts and earnings of $717,514.

His wins for trainer Nancy Takter and driver Yannick Gingras included the Breeders Crown, Metro Pace, and a division of the International Stallion Stakes. Owned by Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms, and Howard Taylor, Tall Dark Stranger was bred by James Avritt Sr.

All the honorees and their connections will be honored at USHWA’s annual Dan Patch Awards Banquet, celebrating the best and brightest of harness racing in the past year. The banquet honoring the champions of 2019 will be held on Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando Fla., the climax of a weekend that also finds USHWA holding its annual national meetings.

Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year, and Horse of the Year will be revealed at the banquet.

Tickets for the Dan Patch Awards Banquet are $180, with a filet mignon dinner featured; “post times” on Feb. 23 are cocktails at 5:30 p.m., with dinner to follow. Tickets, and other banquet-related information, can be obtained through Dinner Planning Committee Chair Judy Davis-Wilson, at zoe8874@aol.com or 302-359-3630.

Hotel reservations can be made through USHWA’s website, www.ushwa.net; a link to the hotel’s computer is on the front page of the website. Those who would like to take out congratulatory ads for award-winners in the always-popular Dan Patch Awards Journal can do so by contacting Kim Rinker at trotrink@aol.com or 708-557-2790 (the 2019 journal is online at the writers’ website).







TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE PACER
TALL DARK STRANGER, colt (86 votes, 58.5%)
Bettor’s Delight – Precocious Beauty – Art Major
Breeder: James Avritt Sr.
Owners: Crawford Farms Racing, Marvin Katz, Caviart Farms, Howard Taylor
Trainer: Nancy Takter Driver: Yannick Gingras
Races: 9-8-1-0 Purses: $717,514 Mark: 1:49.1 at Woodbine Mohawk Park
Top wins: $600,000 Breeders Crown; $562,500 Metro

TWO-YEAR-OLD FEMALE PACER
LYONS SENTINEL (129 votes, 87.8%)
Captaintreacherous – Tutu Hanover – Western Ideal
Breeder: Hanover Shoe Farms Inc.
Owner: Threelyonsracing
Trainer: Jim King Jr. Principal driver: Tim Tetrick
Races: 14-9-4-1 Purses: $801,809 Mark: 1:49.3 at Woodbine Mohawk Park
Top wins: $405,000 She’s A Great Lady; $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship; $176,400 Matron

THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE PACER
BETTOR’S WISH, colt (144 votes, 98.0%)
Bettor’s Delight – Lifetime Star – Western Ideal
Breeder: Brittany Farms LLC
Owners: Chris Ryder, Bella Racing Ltd., Fair Island Farm Inc., Bettors Wish Partners
Trainer: Chris Ryder Driver: Dexter Dunn
Races: 19-13-6-0 Purses: $1,643,745 Mark: 1:47.4 at Lexington
Top wins: $400,000 Carl Milstein Memorial; $300,000 Art Rooney Pace; $270,000 Tattersalls Pace division; $250,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes championship; $248,350 Matron

THREE-YEAR-OLD FEMALE PACER
WARRAWEE UBEAUT (145 votes, 98.6%)
Sweet Lou – Great Memories – Apaches Fame
Breeder: Warrawee Farm
Owners: Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phillip Collura, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, Weaver Bruscemi LLC
Trainer: Ron Burke Driver: Yannick Gingras
Races: 19-12-2-3 Purses: $950,610 Mark: 1:48.3 at Lexington
Top wins: $550,000 Breeders Crown; $253,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship; $216,000 Glen Garnsey Memorial; $155,760 Jugette

OLDER MALE PACER
MCWICKED, 8-year-old stallion (73 votes, 49.7%)
McArdle – Western Sahara – Western Ideal
Breeder: Andray Farm
Owner: S S G Stables
Trainer: Casie Coleman Driver: Brian Sears
Races: 17-6-3-3 Purses: $1,034,091 Mark: 1:47.2 at Lexington
Top wins: $440,000 Jim Ewart Memorial; $260,000 Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial; $250,000 Dan Rooney Pace

OLDER FEMALE PACER
SHARTIN N, 6-year-old (145 votes, 98.6%)
Tintin In America – Bagdarin – Live Or Die
Breeder: G. J. Crabbe
Owners: Richard Poillucci, Jo Ann Looney-King, Tim Tetrick LLC
Trainer: Jim King Jr. Driver: Tim Tetrick
Record: 19-15-3-0 Purses: $982,177 Mark: 1:46.4 at The Meadowlands
Top wins: $402,600 Blue Chip Matchmaker Series final; $247,500 Roses Are Red; $183,500 Lady Liberty; $179,550 Golden Girls