Exiting another stellar year of work, Mission Accepted will kick off his eight-year-old season on Sunday (Jan. 1) at MGM Northfield Park.

The Burke trainee enters the $18,000 Open Trot following a fifth-place finish at Dayton on Dec. 21. Before that effort, Mission Accepted had put together a five-race win streak, with four wins coming over the flying turns.

The world champion has shown no signs of slowing down, having won over $100,000 yearly since his two-year-old season. The lone exception was in 2020, when he earned $91,323.

"He is a pure-gaited horse that leads him to being extremely durable and consistent," said Burke when asked about his star.  

Entering Sunday, Mission Accepted (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) has made $1,319,081 in 115 career starts, of those he has won 44 for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., David B. Wills and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

Concluding the field of six will be mare Twenty Four K Magic (Greg Grismore), Hobbs (Billy Davis Jr.), Light Blue Movers (Aaron Merriman), Magical Muscle Man (Kurt Sugg) and Predator And Prey (Hunter Myers).

Burke will also send out 2021 Delvin Miller Adios champion Hellabalou (Wrenn Jr.) in the $18,000 Open Pace. 

While he hasn't shown the stakes level numbers he put up at three, Hellabalou has been able to hang some of the upper-level conditioned horses on the east coast and midwest. He closed out his four-year-old season with eight victories in 21 starts, making just over $100,000 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Eric K. Good, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Lawrence R. Karr.

With the new year also comes a new guaranteed wager. Beginning Sunday, MGM Northfield Park will add a $10,000 guaranteed 20-cent Super High-5 to the first race each night. If no one has the correct combination, the wager would carryover until the 13th race Super High-5.

MGM Northfield Park will kick off their 2023 season on Sunday (Jan. 1) with post time returning to 6 p.m. Racing will continue with a Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday through June 4, when the Northeast Ohio facility will go dark on Tuesdays and pick up Mondays. 

(MGM Northfield Park)