Ron Burke gave the keynote speech during Wednesday night's (June 11) opening session of the U.S. Trotting Association's Driving School.

By all accounts, Burke’s remarks were genuine and informative and gave listeners an inside view into the life of harness racing's top trainer.

The reception was held at the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, where the country's leading conditioner spoke for 20 minutes and generously took questions from the driving school participants for an additional 40 minutes.

"Ron Burke was a very engaging and insightful speaker, never shying away from hot topics such as training techniques, managing a large stable, drugs, and the pressure and perception of having the sport's biggest stable," noted Janet Terhune, the Museum's director, who is also participating in the five-day driving school program.

The hour-long video is full of Standardbred training tips and what Burke considers to be the key to his success.

In addition to having taken centre stage for the keynote address, Burke was also profiled in an article by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The report takes a well-rounded look at Burke’s career in the racing industry and explains how racing is a family affair for the Burke clan. "We could have wound up broke or doing really well," Burke said. "Luckily, it ended with us doing really well."

(Harness Racing Museum)