Oct 28, 2024 By John Sacco 4 min read

A girl could get used to such things.

My Girl EJ captured her second Breeders Crown championship in a row Saturday night at The Meadowlands racetrack, East Rutherford, N.J., in the $600,000 3-year-old Filly Pace final of the sports signature race.

Trained by Canonsburg resident Ron Burke, My Girl EJ became the sixth filly in Breeders Crown history to repeat as a 2-and 3-year-old.

Burke had another Breeders Crown champion — Louprint, who Friday night won the 2-year-old pace when he bested Fallout in deep stretch and held off fast-closing stablemate, Sippinonsearoc, at the wire to win the $700,000 pace in 1:49.1.

The margin was a head over Sippinonsearoc and neck over Fallout in the three-horse photo.

The Meadows’ Ronnie Wrenn Jr. drove Louprint and picked up his first Breeders Crown trophy. The triumphs were the 21st and 22nd for Burke in the Breeders Crown. He leads all active trainers in victories, trailing only Jimmy Takter’s 34 triumphs.

Louprint’s time was one-fifth of a second off the stakes record, which was set in 2011 by the colt’s sire, Sweet Lou. Louprint went off at 8-1 and paid $18 and has earned $737,939 this season.

He is owned by the Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Phi Collura. He’s won seven of 10 races.

“We’re so happy for Ronnie,” Burke said. “He’s our guy at the Meadows and knows these horses so well. I have all the faith in the world in him.”

My Girl EJ, who is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Fredericktown, Weaver Bruscemi, Ron Burke and Elizabeth Novak, won for the ninth time this year and the 14th time in her career. Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Elizabeth Novak bred the filly who now has lifetime earnings of $1,444,060.

Burke confirmed Sunday that My Girl EJ will be sold next month during the online Preferred Equine Auction.

After some missteps and struggles My Girl EJ found her way.

“She’s just a good horse,” Burke said. “I think she just needed to get tight and all the way fit. We pushed her hard and she reacted well.”

Driver Dexter Dunn kept his position from the start as My Girl EJ, a homebred daughter of Sweet Lou, was parked while allowing Direction and Todd McCarthy to move quickly to the front.

Tarrific, with Jason Bartlett, overcame post 10 with a string start and gained control midway on the opening bend. Following a :27.2 first quarter, McCarthy moved Direction to the front, and that prompted Dunn to get on the move with 6-5 favorite My Girl EJ.

Direction and My Girl EJ hooked up briefly with McCarthy parking the favorite well past the :55.1 half before yielding control of the race. My Girl EJ kept a lively pace through three-quarters in 1:22.2 as Its A Love Thing with James MacDonald applied some pressure first over, followed by Rocket Deo in the outer tier.

In the stretch, My Girl EJ pulled away from the Direction, but found late company from Tarrific, closing ground rapidly for Bartlett. My Girl EJ would not have it as she rebuked Tarrific by a neck.

“I had full faith in her, having driven her for the last two years,” said Dunn. “She’s quick, she’s tough and she’s game.”

Dunn won a record six Breeders Crown races in one series and pursed more than $2 million in driver earnings during the Breeders Crown series.

Burke had two other horses finish second in Breeders Crown finals TCI (3-year-old male trot) and Kobie’s Gigi (open mare pace), who went off at 90-1. Burke purchased her two weeks ago.

“It was a fun weekend, could have been a great weekend,” Burke said. “TCI just got beat. We felt we had a shot with Kobie’s Gigi.”

Burke said TCI’s racing career is expected to be over as he is scheduled to be sold to stud.

Bythemissal, who missed most of this year with illness and injury, and won a Breeders Crown elimination, didn’t finish in the money in the open pace.

Burke said the 5-year-old gelding is scheduled to race twice more in 2024.

Another local horse, Timeisonmyside – trained by The Meadows’ Tim Twaddle – failed to place in the 3-year-old pace.