Burke Brigade Dominates PASS At Philly

Frantic Hanover winning at Pocono Downs
Published: August 14, 2025 10:46 pm EDT

Ron Burke achieved his 16,000th career training victory earlier this week, and based on the action at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 14, he seems determined to reach 17,000 in the shortest amount of time possible.

During third-round stakes action of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for two-year-old pacing males, with purses totalling $325,433, Burke sent out four of the winners, including both divisional Sire Stakes victors. One of that pair is now perfect in three PASS starts, and the other $94,223 division went faster with an exactor sweep by the Burke horses.

The Stay Hungry-Francessa colt Frantic Hanover, now a triple PASS winner (he won a PA All-Stars division in his only other career race), was the “slower” division winner, but the fleet freshman was raced off the pace by Tim Tetrick in a race with a :28.1 quarter and a :58 clocking to the half. Frantic Hanover began his move before three-quarters in 1:26 and made up the requisite ground late to win by three-quarters of a length over Aintplayinnice (Yannick Gingras) in 1:52.1. Superchamp Hanover (Matt Kakaley) finished third. Frantic Yankee posted individual back numbers of :53.3-:26, fractions typically more associated with free-for-allers over a mile track. 

Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and Brad Grant have a horse who has already earned the title of ”star,” having never paced his last quarter slower than :26.4, not even in his first qualifier – and no other PASS horse in the group has been able to post even two victories. Frantic Hanover is undefeated with $163,357 in earnings.

In the faster of the two Sire Stakes, the Burke Brigade finished first and second as the Papi Rob Hanover-Baron Remy colt Al Papi scored in 1:51.3. He took over past the quarter in :27.1 for Gingras, then continued on with relentless speed through :55.3 and 1:23.4 splits to post a three-quarter-length margin, with stablemate Melillo (Tetrick) slow to gain full clearance and flying in the stretch but just having too much ground to make up. Apocalypsebluechip (Dave Miller) finished third. 

Al Papi, who also has a PA All-Stars credit to his name and who lowered his mark with this victory, is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, and Larry Karr. The colt is now two-for-four and has earned $102,905.

Gingras also drove Burke’s two winners in the five $27,397 divisions of Stallion Series competition, including another winner who is undefeated in three PA program stakes starts while the opposition has yet to achieve a double. That colt is Another C Note, a son of Captaintreacherous-Kate Cant Wait, and he also posted the quickest Stallion Series time, a new mark of 1:52.1. He was third to the quarter in :28, parked to three-eighths to get the lead, and put up middle fractions of :56.2 and 1:24.3 before dashing home in :27.3 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Let It Ride Stables Inc., and Scott Dillon. He was a length the best over Pa Luke (Eric Goodell), followed by Heartfelt Hanover (Tetrick). The winning colt has won three straight and is now three-for-five.

The other Burke Stallion Series winner was Loumelo Ball, a son of Sweet Lou-Fashion Fluzzy, who broke his maiden in 1:53.2 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Libby And Purnel, and Karr.

Burke added a fifth winner for the day with Alwayswithus in an overnight event and jumped from joint-12th to joint sixth in the local trainers' standings in one card. He has won 660 races overall this year with earnings of more than $18.6 million.

Captaintreacherous sired the fastest Stallion Series winner in Another C Note, and “The Captain” added two more credits with colts in other Stallion Series events. The first was Treacherous Lou (dam Sweet Lucy Lou), who lowered his mark to 1:53.3 for driver Goodell, trainer Robert Cleary, and owner Royal Wire Products Inc. On a day where no other stakes winner paid better than 3-1, Secret Society (dam Drop The Ball) returned $36.20 as David Miller drove him to a new speed badge of 1:54 for trainer Noel Daley and owners Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Odds On Racing.

The final Stallion Series winner was McHungry, an altered son of Stay Hungry-Mcgibson, who sped home in :27.2 to break his maiden in 1:53.3 for trainer Dan Altmeyer, driver Mike Wilder, and owners Altmeyer Wilder Racing, Hutchison Harness LLC, David Wills, and Jean Allred.

Tim Tetrick, the meet’s runaway top driver, may have won only one stakes race, but he took the majority of the overnight races on the program, visiting Victory Lane seven times in all on a profitable afternoon. In addition to Frantic Hanover, he won with Classifiedmaterial, Hats And Horns, double millionaire Crystal Fashion, Resolve To Win, Somebody Special, and Choco Charlie. The Hall of Famer eclipsed 300 wins for the season with Thursday's performance and is winning at a 21.2 per cent clip.

Racing will continue at Harrah's Philly on Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m.

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Frantic Hanover winning at Pocono on Aug. 3)

Tags
Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.