Harness: And the Dan Patch Award winners are...

The battleground shifts from the track to the podium on Sunday night when the North American Standardbred community will find out the United States Harness Writers’ winners for Trotter, Pacer and Horse of the Year.
Despite all of the controversy surrounding Atlanta, since voting was done months ago, it seems highly likely that she will be named Trotter of the Year ahead of the undefeated pair of 2-year-olds Gimpanzee and Woodside Charm.
Pacer and likely Horse of the Year will come down to McWicked and Shartin. The former is considered the favorite but nothing is set in stone as there have been some interesting outcomes in the past.
We’ll all have to wait until February 24 around 10 p.m. to find out the outcome of the voting. If you can’t make it down to Orlando, the event will be streamed live on USHWA’s Facebook page.
What we do know is the 12 Dan Patch divisional winners. How are the 11 which are expected to return doing and what is in store for them in 2019? Ahead we recap each winner and provide commentary from their connections about the year that was and the future.

WOODSIDE CHARM
2-YEAR-OLD TROTTING FILLY
Chapter Seven – Fireworks Hanover
Breeder: AV & Son Bloodstock LLC
Owner: Verlin Yoder
Trainer: Verlin Yoder Driver: Verlin Yoder
Races: 7-7-0-0
Earnings: $521,658
Mark: 1:53 at Pocono
Woodside Charm was the picture of perfection in 2018. Not only did she post an unblemished record but she also looked spectacular in her victories, even trotting the fastest mile ever by a 2-year-old at Saratoga Raceway. Her major wins included the Breeders Crown and Kentuckiana Stallion Management.
“She did everything she was supposed to do and above,” said Verlin Yoder on Woodside Charm’s 2018 campaign. “She’s doing good now. She’s been growing like a weed, so that is a plus. She’s been training back for a while. I only turn them out for about six weeks.
“I’ve been beating my head against the wall about her schedule. There are so many different options and she isn’t eligible to the Hambletonian Oaks because we didn’t know if she was going to live when payments were due when she was a baby,” said Yoder, who provided a few hints about where she might show up. “I’m still up in the air about the Empire Breeders Classic at the end of May at Vernon . . . as of right now I’m not looking at The Meadowlands because some other races came into play at the same time. We’re going to hit Mohawk really hard because it is only seven hours from Hoosier and since the Breeders Crown is going to be there, if I get lucky enough to make it to it, I want to make sure I get over the surface a couple of times before then.”

GIMPANZEE
2-YEAR-OLD MALE TROTTER
Chapter Seven – Steamy Windows
Breeder: Order By Stable
Owners: Courant Inc., SRF Stable
Trainer: Marcus Melander Driver: Brian Sears
Races: 9-9-0-0
Earnings: $591,358
Mark: 1:54 3/5 at Vernon Downs
Gimpanzee never lost in nine starts as a 2-year-old and like Woodside Charm proved the capability of sire Chapter Seven. The New York Sire Stakes champion took on Open company in the Breeders Crown and not only overcame post 8 to win his elimination but also dispatched his foes in the final for a convincing 2-1/2 length score.
“He had a great season. I can’t complain about it at all,” said Marcus Melander. “He was in the New York circuit all year and was in the right form for the Breeders Crown. He showed he was the best when it counted.
“He’s doing great. We put him away after the Breeders Crown so he had a couple of weeks of vacation. Then we brought him back in mid-December. He’s been training ever since. His first possible stakes race is May 10 at Vernon I think, then he has the Empire Breeders Classic in late May. He’ll probably qualify in mid to late April or something like that.
“He’s filled out very nicely. He’s not the biggest horse, but he grew a little bit and he’ll probably grow a little more since we are only in February.”

WARRAWEE UBEAUT
2-YEAR-OLD FEMALE PACER
Sweet Lou – Great Memories
Breeder: Warrawee Farm
Owners: Burke Racing Stable, Phil Collura, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, Weaver Bruscemi
Trainer: Ron Burke Driver: Yannick Gingras
Races: 12-7-1-2
Earnings: $646,995
Mark: 1:48 3/5 at Red Mile (world record)
Warrawee Ubeaut is the fastest 2-year-old Standardbred in history. Her 1:48 3/5 victory at the Red Mile on October 5 cemented her place in the record books, but she was not a one-trick pony. Like her dad Sweet Lou did back in 2011, Warrawee Ubeaut won the Breeders Crown and over $600,000 in purses in her first year of racing.
“Obviously she did some great things,” said Ron Burke. “While other things didn’t go exactly as planned, she showed to be an extremely talented filly that has even more upside yet.
“Everything seems good. She just started turning slow miles but everything seems good with her.
“I’m sure she’ll make her first start in the (Pennsylvania) Sire Stakes and pretty much everything from there will be all of the big races.”

CAPTAIN CRUNCH
2-YEAR-OLD MALE PACER
Captaintreacherous – Sweet Paprika
Breeders: Walnridge Farm, Sherri Meirs
Owners: 3 Brothers Stables, Christina Takter, Rojan Stables, Caviart Farms
Trainer: Nancy Johansson Driver: Scott Zeron
Races: 10-6-1-1
Earnings: $616,113
Mark: 1:49 1/5 at Red Mile
Captain Crunch proved he was a closer in 2018 by finishing his year with wins in the Breeders Crown and Governor’s Cup, two of the three richest races in his division. The son of Captaintreacherous also set a lifetime mark of 1:49 1/5 at the Red Mile.
“I wish he would’ve been healthy around Metro time, but we should be grateful that we were able to get him healthy as quickly as we did. He lost almost a month between the Metro and his start at Lexington. It takes a good horse to do what he did. We literally trained him two times in three and a half weeks and he went out and paced in 1:49 1/5, which is a fifth off the world record,” said Nancy Johansson. “I actually just watched the replay of the Breeders Crown and Governor’s Cup and I said to Marcus (Johansson) that it was so nice to see him sit the pocket and just draw off and win.
“He’s doing really well. He grew up a ton. He’s always been a good-sized horse, but he filled out quite a bit. He just has this shine to him. He would catch anybody’s eye when he’s out on the track. He’s only trained back three times since turn-out, but he’s good.
“His first big stake will be the North America Cup. How do we get to that? Probably a Sire Stake at Pocono will be one of his first starts. He’s kind of been good off a layoff, so the more time we take to get him to the races will be good because it is such a hard campaign for these 3-year-olds. We’ll let him decide when he is ready to go. I’d like to have two good qualifiers and two good races before we get to Canada.”

ATLANTA
3-YEAR-OLD FILLY TROTTER
Chapter Seven – Hemi Blue Chip
Breeder: Order By Stable
Owners: Rick Zeron/Crawford Farms, Holland Racing Stable, Howard Taylor, Brad Grant
Trainer: Rick Zeron Driver: Scott Zeron
Races: 14-8-5-1
Earnings: $1.01 million
Mark: 1:50 3/5 at Vernon Downs

Atlanta never finished off the board in 14 starts and at times looked like the most dominant trotter in recent memory. She beat the boys in the Hambletonian and took home the Kentucky Filly Futurity in a spectacular season.
“We got in at 20% based on $1.75 million,” said co-owner Michelle Crawford on the initial pre-Hambletonian purchase price. “It was no gift. So for that price I felt extreme nerves and was very anxious watching her go to post in the Hambo. If she doesn’t win the Hambo, you are looking at a huge investment and not a lot of ways to get out of it. When she didn’t win the first heat I was like, oh boy.
“She’s a freak. She is just a really, really good horse.
“She was jogging and in good shape. All systems seem to be go. Ron Burke is going to campaign the horse for her 4-year-old year. He wins a lot of races but more importantly has campaigned some very good fillies, with one being a Horse of the Year in Hannelore Hanover.”

SIX PACK
3-YEAR-OLD MALE TROTTER
Muscle Mass – Pleasing Lady
Breeder: Brittany Farms
Owners: Ake Svanstedt Inc., Little E LLC, Stall Kalmar FF, Lars Berg
Trainer: Ake Svanstedt Driver: Ake Svanstedt
Races: 15-11-2-1
Earnings: $1.15 million
Mark: 1:49 1/5 at Red Mile (world record)
Six Pack topped his division in earnings and was the only 3-year-old colt trotter to finish in the top 5 in earnings and also win more than 10 races. He combined excellence with consistency, winning the Kentucky Futurity and Yonkers Trot while finishing second in the Earl Beal and TVG. If not for a bad trip in the Hambletonian he would clearly be in the Horse of the Year mix.
“It was a good year,” said Ake Svanstedt. “It was only the Hambletonian that was a mess, but all the other races were good.
“He’s back, but we’ve had bad weather,” said Svanstedt about Six Pack’s training schedule. “We have not trained too many times. The first race is coming up May 18 so we have time to train. He is going to start in the Graduate Series. He will go to the 4-year-old races until they are done. If he is OK then he will race the older horses after that.
“I hope he can be a good horse this year. He is a year older and maybe stronger in that big body. I hope he can do good. He is a strong horse. There has not been any problem with him.”

KISSIN IN THE SAND
3-YEAR-OLD FILLY PACER
Somebeachsomewhere – Kiss Me Kate
Breeders: Christina Takter, John Fielding, RAW Equine, Concord Stud Farm
Owners: Marvin Katz, Hatfield Stables
Trainer: Nancy Johansson Driver: Scott Zeron
Races: 15-10-5-0
Earnings: $845,495
Mark: 1:47.4 at Red Mile
Never worse than second in 14 starts, Kissin In The Sand was perhaps the most visually impressive horse of 2018. The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere put in the performance of the year winning the James Lynch Memorial while parked every step and consistently displayed heart time after time. Even in defeat, as in her parked-the-mile Breeders Crown loss, Kissin In The Sand shined bright.
“That was one of the most bitter defeats I’ve ever experienced,” said Marvin Katz about the Breeders Crown loss. “She deserved to be a Breeders Crown champion. She raced her heart out in the most impossible conditions imaginable and would not quit. I’m excited to see her come back this year.”
“She grew a ton,” said Nancy Johansson. “She’s always been a nice size horse, but for the first time in her entire life, she filled out and has a really nice hind end to her. I always thought she was missing a little of the bulk I wanted in her, but when she came back to jog the first day, I thought I can’t believe this is her hind end I’m looking at.
“She’s never been a ‘wow’ horse when she trains. I think she thinks training is useless, but she feels really good. Her first major stake will be the Roses Are Red, which is the same timeframe as the North America Cup. She has some of those Great Northeast races in Pennsylvania. Hopefully the Meadowlands gets some added purse money. If I can race her in the Filly & Mare Open at The Meadowlands for some decent money, that would make me really happy.
“She would go with them (boys division) because she is so stubborn and she would do what she had to do, but there is no point in doing that to her,” concluded Johansson, who said Kissin In The Sand wasn’t nominated to the male stakes.

DORSODURO HANOVER
3-YEAR-OLD COLT PACER
Somebeachsomewhere – Deer Valley Miss
Breeder: Hanover Shoe Farms
Owners: Burke Racing Stable, Silva, Purnel & Libby, Weaver Bruscemi, Wingfield Five
Trainer: Ron Burke Driver: Matt Kakaley
Races: 22-10-6-2
Earnings: $1.28 million
Mark: 1:49.4 at Pocono
Dorsoduro Hanover arrived on the scene in his division by finishing second in the Meadowlands Pace and secured his standing with wins in the Adios and Breeders Crown. The Hanover Shoe Farms-bred led all 3-year-olds in earnings during the year and performed well on all-sized surfaces.
“He’s really a horse that put it all together,” said Ron Burke. “As a 2-year-old he lost races he should’ve won and as a 3-year-old he won races he should’ve lost. It was a great year. It even could’ve been better. He had a couple of tough draws in big races and he still managed seconds and thirds out of eight-holes and ten-holes.
“He just started turning. We are aiming for the Graduate. He’ll be in most of the big races on top of that, but the Graduate series is such a great place for the 4-year-olds to start. It will be the same group as last year and then everybody will get in line to see if they can go with McWicked.”

ARIANA G
OLDER FEMALE TROTTER
Muscle Hill – Cantab It All
Breeders: Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld
Owners: Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld
Trainer: Jimmy Takter Drivers: Yannick Gingras, Brian Sears, David Miller
Races: 14-5-1-1
Earnings: $597,802
Mark: 1:50 2/5 at Meadowlands
Ariana G is now a three-time Dan Patch award winner. While her record wasn’t as strong in 2018 as a 4-year-old, she raced admirably, beating the boys and more seasoned foes on multiple occasions and holding her own in spots like the Yonkers International.
“I couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments and performance,” said Marvin Katz about Ariana G in 2018. “To cap off her year with a Dan Patch. It is a profound honor to me. She joins CR Kay Suzie and Peace Corps as the only other mares to win a Dan Patch in their division three years in a row. That is indeed legendary company.
“I have found that when you really appreciate these horses is after their careers are over; looking back on the victories and the things they overcame to achieve the accomplishments they did. For Ariana G, it was her elegance, brilliance, style and class that she exuded virtually from the first time she stepped out onto the racetrack throughout her career,” said Katz. “You couldn’t ask for anything more from a trotting filly than the thrills and excitement she provided.
“Very much so,” said Katz when asked if he was looking forward to breeding Ariana G this year. “She’s being bred to Chapter Seven.”

HOMICIDE HUNTER
OLDER MALE TROTTER
Mr Cantab – Evening Prayer
Breeder: Patrick Graham
Owner: Crawford Farms Racing
Trainer: Chris Oakes Drivers: George Napolitano Jr., Brian Sears, Aaron Merriman
Races: 16-9-0-2
Earnings: $605,770
Mark: 1:48 4/5 at Red Mile (world record)
While Homicide Hunter’s strong record and Breeders Crown wins certainly vaulted him to the top of his division, it was an afternoon at the Red Mile which etched his place in history. That is when he became the fastest trotter in North America with a 1:48 4/5 winning mile.
“I think he achieved everything I knew he could and finally proved to everybody the type of horse he is,” said owner Michelle Crawford. “He’s my favorite horse. I can’t even explain everything he means to me. He’s just the best horse to be around. He has the biggest heart with the most unassuming personality.
“The world record happened so fast. I knew at some point we’d be able to look back and say ‘oh my God, he is a world record holder’. It still doesn’t feel real. With the miles the trotters are going these days you wonder how long we’ll be able to own that record, but I think we’ll be able to hold onto it for a while. Even though the world record was surreal, my most emotional moment was him winning the Breeders Crown in the pouring rain.”
“So far so good,” said Crawford on how Homicide Hunter is coming back in 2019. “He just went back down to Florida a couple of weeks ago to Chris (Oakes). We are looking for another big year from him. He just keeps getting stronger and stronger.”

SHARTIN N
OLDER FEMALE PACER
Tintin In America – Bagdarin
Breeder: G J Crabbe
Owners: Richard Poillucci, Jo Ann Looney-King
Trainer: Jim King Jr. Driver: Tim Tetrick
Races: 24-19-1-0
Earnings: $1.05 million
Mark: 1:48 2/5 at Red Mile
Shartin N was a near-unanimous winner among older pacing mares. She won an amazing 19 times in 2018 while winning virtually every possible stakes race offered for her class. Perhaps even more impressive is that her first stakes win came in April and her last in November. She also won stakes at eight different tracks.
“I don’t know how she could’ve done anything much better,” said Jim King Jr. “Any time things didn’t go right I could find a good reason why it didn’t. She got beat once in a distance race where Timmy (Tetrick) choked her down; she was just too aggressive. She got beat one time by a horse that came on the outside which she never saw. She got beat once in the snow; she couldn’t see then either. She’s a very visual horse. She can’t hear anything. She has her ears plugged. Even when she gets to the front, she won’t go until she sees the other horses.
“There is no reason why she won’t,” said King when asked if Shartin N could repeat her dominance. “Of course it is an awfully tall order, but she is healthy, willing enough and seems to be even sounder now than she was at the end (of last year); not that she had any major issues. She seems very athletic right now.
“We are pretty much going to take the same plan of attack as in 2018,” said King, who watched her qualify at Dover Downs on February 13 in 1:56 and is aiming towards the Blue Chip Matchmaker at Yonkers to start her stakes year.

MCWICKED
OLDER MALE PACER
McArdle – Western Sahara
Breeder: Andray Farm
Owner: S S G Stables
Trainer: Casie Coleman Drivers: Brian Sears, David Miller
Races: 19-12-3-2
Earnings: $1.57 million
Mark: 1:46.2 at Red Mile
It is rare that a Breeders Crown, Hempt Memorial and Adios winner has his best year as a 7-year-old, but McWicked is a special horse. McWicked not only took down most of the major stakes for his division in 2018, he also rolled to a 1:46 2/5 win at the Red Mile and became the second fastest Standardbred in history.
“Besides Foiled Again, being his age and doing what he is doing, it is kind of crazy,” said Casie Coleman. “I thought he would have a good season but for him to be that good and dominant, and to be as good or better than he ever was at that age, it is kind of hard to expect.
“I’m assuming good but I don’t winter train him. Jim MacDonald does that at Pompano Park. I haven’t heard anything and usually no news is good news. They won’t send him up to me until he is ready to qualify, which I’m assuming will be late April or May.”