Dec 18, 2025 4 min read

Burke group wins multiple Dan Patch Awards

By John Sacco

Contributing Writer

For trainer Ron Burke, the Burke Racing Stable Fredericktown, and a longtime owner’s group, it doesn’t get much better than 2025.

And because of their efforts, each has been honored by the United States Harness Writers Association in the annual Dan Patch Awards voting.

Burke is Trainer of the Year, and the partnership of Weaver Bruscemi LLC (Mark Weaver and Mike Bruscemi) and Burke Racing Stable LLC (Weaver Bruscemi LLC in combination of Burke family matriarch Sylvia) are Owners of the Year.

The group’s breeding operations will be honored with the Breeder Award as well.

Burke/Weaver Bruscemi won its fourth Owner award – they were voted tops in 2013 and 2018, and they then repeated last year’s success with another triumph this year.

The group was the individual leader in the owners’ earnings derby. Their horses earned more than $6 million.

That group is led by 2-year-old pacing filly Loua Dipa. The stable’s overnighters contributed much of that money, with 13 horses as $1 million earners during the campaign.

Burke/Weaver Bruscemi have often brought in ownership partners, including top money-earners, Knox Services Inc., Phillip Collura, Lawrence Karr, J&T Silvis- Purnel & Libby.

Louprint and Lexus Kody, top performers in 2025 and favorites in the Dan Patch divisional battles, are included in the partnerships along with Al Papi, Looksgoodinloulou and Melillo.

“What I’m most proud about, is it’s the same crew, basically, that did it more than a decade ago and we broke our own records,” Burke said.

“We’re 11 years older and we started more horses this year than ever. I’m kind of proud of that. It’s hard.

“I’m proud of those who have been here the whole time and the new people who have joined us,” he continued. “You know, it’s the same drivers and a lot more Ronnie Wrenn Jr. now. The fact that it’s Sweet Lou’s sons and daughters who are helping us do it is incredible.”

This is Burke’s fourth award (2011, 2013 and 2018) and his late father, Mickey Sr., won in 2006.

Lexus Kody was top money winning horse overall at $1,371,651, while Louprint earned $1,025,971, along with a pair of $750,000-plus winners in Loua Dipa and Breeders Crown champion Sippinonsearoc.

“Obviously, this is a result of a great year,” Weaver said. “We also got breeder of the year, which, to me, we’ve won owners a few times and that’s great, but the breeder of the year is kind of extra for us.”

“We started this kind of as a claiming operation and have only been involved in breeding for 10 or 12 years. To be able to accumulate some of the mares that we have and with our stallions … to be chosen as breeder of the year is extra satisfying.”

Bolon memorialized

The Meadows’ feature race Thursday was named in honor of one of the track’s longtime trainer/drivers, Ben Bolon, who recently passed.

Bolon died last week at the age of 79, and the sixth race on Thursday’s card was the Rollin’ Ben Bolon Memorial Trot in remembrance of the Ohio native.

Bolon won three driving titles at The Meadows in the 1970s and continued racing through 2009.

Friends were invited to gather in the winner’s circle to join the extended Bolon family for a blanket presentation following the race.

O’Donnell honored

William (Bill) O’Donnell, one of the greatest harness drivers in history, has been voted the highest honor decided solely by members of the United States Harness Writers Association, the Stan Bergstein – Proximity Award.

The trotter Proximity retired as the richest-ever Standardbred a couple of years before an award was named for her in 1952. Bergstein, the only “double Hall of Famer” and himself a Proximity winner in 1976, had his name added to the top award after his death in 2011.