“A few years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. I’d have probably just slept with him. Thank God for how strong purses have been in the last few years and how well our barn has done. It has taken the immediate pressure off just making it day to day. I can enjoy this a little bit more and have fun and race and see what we can do.”
Trainer Ronnie Burke, who was voted 2011 Trainer of the Year by the U.S. Harness Writers Association, shared those words about the freakishly-good Sweet Lou, who was an ultra-impressive winner in his sophomore debut this past Saturday in a division of the PASS at Pocono Downs.
Sweet Lou was the 2011 Dan Patch Award winner as best two-year-old male pacer after a season in which he won 10 of 12 races, including the Breeders Crown in a world-record 1:49, and earned $688,117. He finished second in both of his losses - by a nose and a head.
He enters this year as the No. 1-ranked contender for the Pepsi North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace and the Little Brown Jug, which are three of the biggest prizes for three-year-old pacers.
“We’re going to race him and we’re going to have fun,” Burke said. “When he wins, we’re going to have fun; lose, we’re going to have less fun. But I’m not going to sweat it. I’m not going to get myself nervous about it. I’m just going to enjoy it.
Burke’s stable has set records for purses over the last several years, including $18.5 million in 2011. Burke has trained a number of stars, including divisional champions Buck I St Pat, Won The West, and Foiled Again.
“Lucky for Lou, they paid for a lot of my mistakes that I made getting up to where I am now,” Burke said. “I think right now we prep a horse for a big race better than we did by far 10 years ago. I think you see it in the results. Races we aim for, we tend to do real well in.
“We’re used to the pressure of having to get ready for races.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.
Sweet Lou only danger to
Sweet Lou only danger to Thinking Out Loud.Congrats to both and their connections.