It hardly seems four years since leading Australian trainer Shane Tritton and his wife, a co-trainer and the most accomplished driver Lauren, showed up in the States to start a new life and a venture into North American harness racing. The COVID-19 era welcomed them harshly as did trying to acclimate to New York winters, but the team has persevered over the years and perhaps laid the foundation for an American breakout season in 2023. "Last year was a rebuilding year," said Shane Tritton discussing a major shift in the stable's focus. "When we first came, we were taking every horse anyone would give us. Last year we decided to roll back and focus on the type of stable we're more comfortable with." The change was dramatic for those following the stable as in 2021 they sent out 431 horses with 51 victories and last year the Trittons pared back with just 205 starters but an impressive 48 winners. "We've got 25 horses now," Tritton said of the stable that has a nice blend of 2 and 3-year-olds to go along with some quality older pacers and now trotters. "It definitely was an adjustment to adapt to the conditioned system over here," Tritton said. "The biggest issue was something my dad had tried to drill into me and that was the viruses horses shipping over would eventually get." The sickness issues brought on by a lack of antibodies in the newly imported Australian and New Zealand horses haunted the Tritton stable, keeping many of their horses from early success and then limiting starts along the way. "What it's taught us is that we have to take time in bringing these horses to the races and if that means stepping back and giving them more time it's what we'll do," Tritton said. Patience can be a tough virtue to deal with, especially with the demands of owners to see quick return on investment, but the Trittons have a long-term plan and most of their owners recognize the health of the horses comes first and hopefully success will follow. While many of the younger horses are preparing for starts in the coming months, Tritton showed some of his hand for the coming season this past Saturday (January 21) in qualifiers at The Meadowlands. With Lauren at the controls of the $1 million Down Under sensation Lochinvar Art A they romped in a successful 1:52 1/5 North American debut in a qualifier. The 8-year-old by Modern Art has had limited racing opportunities over the last few years but he could get a new lease on life in North America if things work out as expected. "We're going to give him some time," said Tritton of Lochinvar Art A with the thought that he's still vulnerable to sickness and any attempt to push him ahead quickly could thwart plans to see him compete at the top level over the course of the year. Lauren also piloted Harry Knows IR to a 1:53 4/5 victory in his first start on these shores. The Irish-bred was a recent addition to the stable and perhaps a huge surprise for Tritton. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter "I got a call out of the blue from Patty [Kane, the owner-trainer-driver] about the horse. He wanted to send him here to race," said Tritton. "He's trained like a nice horse since we got him and I was very impressed by his qualifier. The fastest he'd been in a race was 2:01 so it was hard to know what kind of speed he was capable of." Harry Knows IR is unique in so many ways, as the horse has a global story hard to match. "He's a French-bred, Irish-owned horse that was sent to race in America with an Aussie trainer," Tritton said. As this point no one knows exactly what Harry Knows IR is capable of, but the odds are he's going to be a very nice addition to the stable. "Patty is going to come over and hopefully when the horse races he'll drive him in his first start. That would be great," said Tritton. With just more than $41K banked lifetime, the conditions are wide-open for the Irish import to enjoy some success climbing the class ranks before meeting tougher company. While the Trittons are not huge fans of winters in New York they have had to adapt, and the early results in 2023 indicate that they have in a major way. On Sunday afternoon their most successful horse since arriving -- Nandolo N -- found the winner's circle in the Meadowlands featured pace, winning in a career-best 1:48 3/5 clocking on a cold afternoon. "I really didn't want to start him this early, but he's been feeling so good lately," said Tritton, who sold Nandolo N recently to owner Stephen Klunowski. "He's been a very good owner for us and I'm happy for him getting a quick return on his investment." Nandolo N is a 9-year-old now and Tritton hopes to have him fresh and ready when the 2023 Borgata Series returns in March at Yonkers Raceway. While the Trittons did campaign a few 2-year-olds last season, with It's A Me Mario racing in the New York Sire Stakes with success, they were more than careful to minimize the number of starts with an outlook for his 3-year-old season. "I think he's going to be a very nice 3-year-old," said Tritton of the American Ideal-sired It's A Me Mario, who showed up early in his freshman campaign and was a solid second on three occasions behind eventual New York Sire Stakes champion American Fling. The $105K yearling purchase Lochinvar Dundee is a Sweet Lou-sired sophomore than Tritton has high hopes for. "He had surgery last year on a stifle," said Tritton. "He's about a month away from qualifying now." Duck Dynasty is another 3-year-old that showed promise last year and was handled carefully by the Trittons after getting sick. The Huntsville-sired colt made just three starts, taking a 1:58 1/5 record in a qualifier at Yonkers. Shane and Lauren Tritton are most definitely a team training the stable. Upon their arrival in the U.S. it was thought that Lauren would accompany the stable's entries as a driver but that has not been the case. "I'd love her to drive every one of the horses," Shane said of his wife. "It's a difficult thing but you have to balance being a mother and raising two boys at the same time and that's not easy." With the arrival of some fresh blood into the stable from afar and the patience to develop young horses, the Trittons appear to have all the elements in place for their best year in North America.