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
