World champion pacing filly Loua Dipa launched her sophomore season with a successful qualifying mile at The Meadows on Tuesday, April 7.
Driven by her regular reinsman Ronnie Wrenn Jr., the 2025 divisional Dan Patch Award winner tracked in fourth in a field full of her stakes-winning Ron Burke stablemates following the Mitchell York-trained North America Cup eligible Thai Hanover (Jeremy Indof) on the front end. The fractions went in :28.4, :58.2 and 1:27.2 before Loua Dipa angled out and sprinted home in :27.1 to collar Thai Hanover at the end of the 1:55.1 mile. Jen Tilly (Brad Burke), Illbetyourboots (Mike Wilder) and Seaside Shuffle (Chris Page) rounded out the field.
A homebred for U.S. award-winning owners and breeders Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi, Loua Dipa hit the board in 12 of her 13 freshman starts last year, winning nine times including the Breeders Crowns and Shes A Great Lady Stakes. The Sweet Lou-Looksgoodinaromper filly amassed more than $1.1 million in earnings and established a world record for two-year-old fillies winning a division of the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile in 1:48 flat.
Her 2026 stakes schedule includes the Fan Hanover in Canada at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with eliminations to be held on June 6 and the $390,000 (estimated) final on June 13.
Another season-debuting Burke star, double millionaire Bythemissal, who is eligible to late summer's Canadian Pacing Derby, came up just a neck shy of Vernon Beachy trainee Surreal Ideal, who ended his 2025 campaign with 10 straight Open wins in Ohio. The 1:52.3 mile clocking was the fastest of the morning's 10 qualifiers.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of 2025 Breeders Crown champion Loua Dipa)