To the surprise of no one in particular, Brian Sears and Ron Burke left town with Yonkers Raceway's 2013 titles as leading driver and trainer, respectively.
The 231-program meet (pared down by seven weather cancellations), which ran from Jan. 11 to Dec. 21, saw Sears -- who turns 45 next month -- claim his first Westchester title in his first full-fledged Yonkers season. He won 471 races from 2,034 starts (23.2 percent), 44 more victories than two-time defending champ George Brennan (427 wins). Jason Bartlett (337), Dan Dube (226) and Jordan Stratton (217) rounded out the leading quintet.
Sears' $8,736,133 in purses also led the legion.
The 44-year-old Burke, as part of a record-setting, $22-million purse season, earned his first-ever local training title. He won 176 races from his local-high 723 starters (24.3 percent), taking a season-long scrum with Rene Allard (140 winners, 24.5 percent). Gilberto Garcia-Herrera (114), PJ Fraley (108) and Scott DiDomenico (90) completed the first five.
Burke's $4,233,573 in purses was about $1.8 million more than runner-up Fraley's figure.
The Raceway's 2014 live schedule begins Monday, Jan. 6, pending NYS Gaming Commission approval.
(Yonkers Raceway)