by Ken Weingartner
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Shartin N made it three in a row in the Lady Liberty for pacing mares, winning Saturday’s (Aug. 8) $177,100 edition by one length over Major Occasion A in 1:48.2 at The Meadowlands. Stonebridge Soul finished third.
Major Occasion A led the field to the opening quarter in :26.2, but driver Tim Tetrick already had Shartin N in gear and on her way to the front. Shartin N took the lead and reached the half in :54.3 and three-quarters in 1:22. She fought off a challenge from Warrawee Ubeaut on the final turn and went on to her fourth win in five starts this season and the 45th of her career.
“You just get to a point with 45 wins that you go out and you think you’re going to win again, but it just doesn’t always happen,” co-owner Jo Ann Looney-King said. “It’s just a thrill every single time. She’s just a thrill.”
Shartin N, the 2019 Horse of the Year, has won $2.33 million lifetime and 38 of 48 starts since arriving from New Zealand. She is owned by Richard Poillucci, Looney-King, and Tim Tetrick LLC. The 7-year-old mare is a daughter of Tintin In America out of Bagdarin.
“If it wasn’t for Rich Poillucci, I would not be standing here and she would not be out there today,” Looney-King said. “He picked her out, he bought her and brought her here; it’s all Rich Poillucci.”
Shartin N paid $2.80 to win.
