When Sweet Lou finished fourth as the odds-on favourite in the Pepsi North America Cup, trainer Ron Burke pledged to undertake a complete review of the colt's rigging. He has done just that.
The result: Sweet Lou will be sporting new shoes for the July 7 Meadowlands Pace eliminations.
“We’re going with aluminum shoes instead of steel shoes,” Burke reports. “They may help him be more aggressive.”
Burke also let out the hopples for the sophomore son of Yankee Cruiser-Sweet Future but decided to stay with a closed bridle.
“I tried an open bridle, but he was too busy with it. He just wanted to play with me.”
Burke said he plans to ship his star sophomore to the Meadowlands this week to familiarize him with the track.
“We’ll either qualify him there or train him — one or the other,” Burke said. “I want him to go over the track. I don’t think racing on a big track will be an issue. He won at Indiana Downs and the Red Mile at two.
“I think we’ll see multiple divisions in the Meadowlands Pace. There are some vicious three-year-olds out there. It’s amazing how many good ones there are. This will prove to be a strong crop of three-year-olds.”
Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Larry Karr and Phillip Collura own Sweet Lou, who is ticketed for the Delvin Miller Adios at The Meadows after the Meadowlands Pace.
(The Meadows)