Burke-trained horse pulls major upset in New Jersey
Hall of Fame trainer Ron Burke never stopped believing in champion Bythemissal.
The 7-year-old gelding came from last Saturday night to capture the Grade 2 William R. Houghton Memorial Open Pace at the Meadowlands, East Rutherford, N.J. in 1:47 at 55-1. It was one of the feature races on the Meadowlands Pace card.
Bythemissal paid $116.20 to win.
It was Burke’s 17,000th training victory and having that milestone win being delivered in such a dramatic way by one of his most beloved horses in Bythemissal made for a special moment.
Bythemissal, driven by Ron Wrenn Jr., took advantage of speedy fractions 25.1, 52.3 and 1:19.4. Favorite Ervin Hanover, who was 1-5, finished off the board.
“The only difference of what he was before than now is he can’t make his own trip,” Burke said. “Now, he’s reliant on the race to work out better for him. The last couple starts; he’s really been good. He just can’t make his own luck. So, now he needs a little bit of luck.”
While others have called for Bythemissal’s retirement and the public’s confidence in him waning, Burke has believed.
“I train him. I see what he can do training,” Burke said. “He still can out train every horse in my barn. He still can beat any horse training in my barn. It’s still there. It’s just putting it in the right spots.”
Bythemissal, owned by the Burke stable, Eric K. Good, Rich Lombardo Racing LLC, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Canonsburg, has $2.6 million in career earnings.
The victory was Bythemissal’s second in eight starts this year and his 33rd win in 65 career starts (.508). It was his first stakes victory since capturing the Joe Auger Memorial at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 2025.
“(Bythemissal) has always been one of my favorite horses,” Burke said. “It’s very cool (he was the horse that gave me the 17,000th training win).”
Loua Dipa Wins
Loua Dipa, a 3-year-old pacing filly, also was victorious for the Burke Stable.
Loua Dipa, one of the stars of the stable, captured the Grade 3 $180,120 Jerry Silverman Memorial, for 3-year-old pacing fillies.
Lou’s Dipa was driven by Wrenn Jr.
Loua Dipa is also owned by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi. She paid $3.80 to win while raising her lifetime earnings to $1,118,118 and collecting the 13th victory in her career.
Her 1:48 win equaled the Meadowlands’ track record for 3-year-old pacing fillies, set in 2019 by Tall Drink Hanover, and the time eclipses the 1:48.3 stakes record, set in 2021 by Hot Mess Express and matched in 2022 by Max Contract.
Burke and co-owner Mark Weaver will discuss whether to enter Loua Dipa in The Adios field.
The Adios eliminations are scheduled for Saturday night at The Meadows. The elimination(s) field will be announced later this week.
According to harness racing and The Adios historian, Roger Huston, the only filly to race in the Adios was With Thanks in 1969.
The Grade 1 Adios Pace for the Orchids will be held Saturday, July 25. Post time is set for 11:45.
“I think it’s a real possibility that we’ll race her (in The Adios),” Burke said. “She had a horrible two weeks coming into this start. (Saturday’s performance) told me what a great horse she is. I didn’t like the way she trained. Finally, the last time I trained her in between, I was confident enough to enter her. I really see her in two more weeks being even better. To me, if I was going to do it, the two races I’d only consider racing against the boys are The Adios and the Little Brown Jug.”
On the Boulevard
Brandon Blvd, holding off a handful of challengers in the stretch captured the 50th Grade 1 $810,000 Meadowlands Pace, for 3-year-olds, in 1:48.1 Saturday at the Meadowlands.
Two Burke Stable horses finished second and fourth – Al Papi was second and Melillo fourth, just a head behind Brandon Blvd in the photo finish.