Harness: 2019 Horse of the Year Shartin retired, sold

It has been announced by the owners that Shartin, the 2019 Horse of the Year and the fastest pacing mare in history, has been retired from racing and has been sold. In a glittering career, the world champion mare won 46 of her 68 lifetime starts and $2,667,563 in purses - an average of $39,228 per start - and took a world record lifetime mark of 1:46 4/5. She clocked an amazing 20 winning miles in 1:50 or better.

Bred in New Zealand, Shartin did not race at age 2 and commenced her career in Australia as a 3-year-old, winning seven races and $105,718 in purses. He victories included the Queensland and Tasmanian Oaks.

Following her defeat of Victorian Horse of the Year, Jilliby Kung Fu (1:48 4/5, $529,710), at Melton in 2017, when Shartin sat parked out the entire trip and won in a class record 1:52.5 mile rate over 1720 meters, Shartin was bought by leading New Zealand bloodstock agent John Curtin on behalf of U.S. owner Richard Poillucci of South Easton, Massachusetts. Poillucci would then take on partners Jo Ann Looney-King of Delaware and later down the road, driver Tim Tetrick.

"In my wildest dreams I never thought I would have a mare like Shartin," said owner Richard Poillucci. "It does not happen very often in our industry or in a lifetime for an owner. It was a hard decision to be made. We talked about it for the past few months and decided it would be in her best interest to become a broodmare.

"It has been so surreal having Shartin these past few years. If you are into harness racing there is no greater feeling than owning a world champion like her. When she was good no one could beat her and when she was not good, she was still great."

Shartin took the North American racing scene by storm in 2018 for trainer Jim King Jr., winning 19 of her 24 appearances and earning $1,053,236 – the highest total by a pacing mare ever in one season. She was named the Dan Patch Pacer of the Year and was second in the balloting for Harness Horse of the Year.

She completed almost a clean sweep of the major races for mares in 2018, including the $373,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker final, $370,000 Roses Are Red, $270,000 Breeders Crown, $197,400 Lady Liberty, $175,000 TVG Free-For-All, $161,000 Artiscape Pace, $150,000 Betsy Ross Invitational, $102,200 Chip Noble Memorial, and the $98,500 Allerage Farm Pace in a season's record 1:48 2/5.

"She would not have been possible for her to do all that she did if it wasn't for trainer Jim King, Jr.'s tutelage and driver Tim Tetrick's patience," Poillucci said. "They, along with my co-owner Jo Ann Looney-King, did such a superb job with her. When she first came into their barn, she was not a well-mannered mare, and they made her the world champion she is today.

"I can't thank my agent and friend John Curtin enough," Poillucci added. "He did not just find and purchase this mare for us, but he has been one of her biggest fans too, following every start she has made in North America. He does that with every horse I get with him."

She completed almost a clean sweep of the major races for mares in 2018, including the $373,000 Blue Chip Matchmaker Final, $370,000 Roses Are Red, $270,000 Breeders Crown, $197,400 Lady Liberty, $175,000 TVG Free-for-all, $161,000 Artiscape Pace, $150,000 Betsy Ross Invitation, $102,200 Chip Noble Memorial and the $98,500 Allerage Farm Pace in a season's record 1:48.2.

Shartin put an exclamation mark on her 2019 season in August when she produced a jaw-dropping world record performance to win the $183,500 Lady Liberty at the Meadowlands, carving out the mile in 1:46 4/5. She also became the fastest Standardbred horse ever bred in New Zealand. A month later Shartin set another world record for mares on a five-eighths-mile track when she was clocked in 1:48 at Harrah's Philadelphia in a $30,000 Open Pace.

She continued her dominance of the distaff pacing ranks throughout the year, winning the $402,600 Blue Chip Matchmaker final, $330,000 Roses Are Red, $179,550 Golden Girls, $137,000 Artiscape, $100,000 Clara Barton, $100,000 Betsy Ross, and the $100,000 Chip Noble and finishing second in the Breeders Crown.

Shartin won 15 of her 19 outings in 2019 for $982,177 in earnings - a season's high for her gait and sex.

As the result of a remarkable season, Shartin was named 2019 Horse of the Year, becoming only the fifth female pacer and the first horse bred outside of North America to pick up the prestigious award.

Shartin returned to the track as a 7-year-old this year, winning an additional five races, including the $177,100 Lady Liberty and $129,000 Artiscape for the third time each and notching consecutive wins in the $100,000 Clara Barton.

"The barn will not be the same without her, for sure," said King Jr. "Hard to imagine this barn without her and looking forward to her next race. It's been the driving force for me these past three years. "We knew this day would come so ...it's tough."

On the score of bloodlines, Shartin has a great deal in her favor. Apart from being sired by the champion New Zealand pacer Tintin In America, a $906,422 winning son of McArdle, she is out of a mare by the Governor's Cup winner Live Or Die, a leading sire in New Zealand for many years, while her grand-dam is a daughter of the Bret Hanover foal, Save Fuel, a brother to the glamour American filly of the 1970's, Guiding Beam.

The family has produced a host of "black type" performers, including Italian Delight (1:50 2/5), Donegal Delight (NZ North Island Breeders Stakes), Im Bella Jay (WA Wesbred 2YO Classic) and Kanturk (NZ Celebrity Stakes).

"I can't hardly tell you what it's been like to have owned and raced a world champion like Shartin," said Looney-King. "She's the dream horse I longed for since I was a young girl in the horse business. She's the dream horse everyone longs for. Imagine owning a horse that North America knows by name; it seems unreal, but it happened and to me and our team. I also want people to know that the experience of meeting so many nice people and well-wishers on the road traveling has been one of the high points of owning a horse like Shartin.

"People have been so nice everywhere we travelled," King added. "We met so many nice people that I still stay in touch with, and I'm so appreciative of their kindness.

"For the past few days now that she has been sold, when I walk by her stall and speak to her I have some sadness, but I know it's best for her and for the team, but damn it's going to be hard to watch her walk out of that barn the final time. It will be emotional for me, real emotional. It's really been the best three years imaginable. A dream come true, and I thank God every day."

Bloodstock agent John Curtin also confirmed the sale of Shartin for an undisclosed sum to Ola Yoder, owner of Kountry Lane Standardbreds LLC. of Indiana.

Ola Yoder stunned the harness racing world with a significant investment in buying five sensational broodmares at the 2019 White Birch Farm dispersal sale held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Since then, he has purchased the Breeders Crown winner Winndevie (1:53, $863,257) and now Shartin.

Shartin is scheduled to be bred to Captaintreacherous in 2021 and then Lazarus in 2022.

Plans for a special retirement ceremony will be announced soon.

--press release (Steve Wolf)--