Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Four Starzzz Shark Retired
August 25, 2004

Four Starzzz Shark, a leading candidate for harness racing's Horse of the Year, has been retired, trainer Dave Sabatelli said Tuesday.

Four Starzzz Shark won nine of 11 starts, finished second once and earned $766,945 this year. For his career, the 6-year-old pacer won 25 of 73 races and earned $2.5 million, good for 16th place among all pacers in history.

He last raced in the Breeders Crown on July 31 at the Meadowlands, finishing seventh, and was discovered to have a lung infection. Sabatelli hoped to have him ready for this weekend's elimination races for the Canadian Pacing Derby in Ontario, but ran out of time.

"He's good right now, but by the time he got over being sick there wasn't time to be ready for the Canadian Pacing Derby," Sabatelli said. "He had a few other races on his schedule, but that was the one that really mattered to us."

Four Starzzz Shark recorded the fastest race mile for an older pacer in history when he won his elimination for the William R. Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands in 1:47.4. Sabatelli cited victories in the Haughton final and Molson Canadian Pace at Western Fair Raceway as the highlights of the year.

"The Haughton was probably the most memorable start of the year," Sabatelli said. "The Molson was pretty special because it was at a smaller racetrack than the Meadowlands and they had great fan support. He set a track record there, and when he got back to the winner's circle he got a standing ovation. They know their racing; it wasn't just another mile or horse going fast. It was very enjoyable for us."

Four Starzzzz Stables Inc. (Jeff Cohen and Mike Sudaley) of Glenwood, N.J. owns Four Starzzz Shark. Four Starzzz Shark was ranked No. 2 in North America, behind 3-year-old filly pacer Rainbow Blue, in the most recent harness racing poll.

"I think for 10 starts he showed who the most dominate horse in the country was," Sabatelli said. "I don't get a vote for Horse of the Year, and I don't know how they judge it, but I know how I'd vote."
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