Wilkes-Barre, PA – The “Burke Brigade” is well-known throughout harness racing, but in northeast Pennsylvania the Standardbred victory machine has become known as the “Burke and Buter Brigade,” as the horses Ron trains are generally driven by Tyler Buter, with this Brigade winning at a phenomenal rate and contributing to both leading their statistical win ranks at the mountain oval. At Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon (June 13), the “B&B Brigade” combined for four victories, including both pacing features.
The late-developing Captaintreacherous sophomore colt Another C Note, not eligible to the big group dances this month or next (although he is eligible for the Hempt here in August), showed a new dimension Saturday while posting victory number eight in an undefeated season, a 1:49.3 win in the $20,000 feature pace. The quadruple stakes winner (including all three legs of his Sire Stakes action so far) had been racing on or near the pace recently against sophomores, but here, against five older horses, he was taken back off the gate off of an absence since May 24, and fractions of :26.1, :55, and 1:22.1 saw him stay inside and go past the last-named station sixth and last.
But Buter found room to angle in front of a gapper on the far turn, and Another C Note was directed wide and clear nearing headstretch. And that was that, as they say, as the 3-year-old was in top gear in the stretch, last quarter :26.3 and the second half of that faster than the first, to be along over Pocono Piker Congressional, game but three-quarters of a length shy as Another C Note set a lifetime mark. Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC share ownership with Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Scott Dillon.
In the $16,000 co-feature pace, Buter took full advantage of the rail with the Sweet Lou gelding Solid Character and created a “lineup” (sans a breaker) that he led through splits of :27.1, :55.1, and 1:22.3. Favored Mac’s Delight sat a delightful pocket trip behind the pacesetter, but he could get no closer than 1-1/4 lengths of the winner as this mile also went in 1:49.3. Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC are the sole owners of Solid Character.
A third sub-1:50 B&B Brigade mile was posted by the Tall Dark Stranger sophomore gelding Thiago Hanover, a coast-to-coast winner in 1:49.4, which earned him a new speed badge, for the combine of Burke Racing Stable, Lawrence Karr, Knox Services Inc., and Beasty LLC. The fourth winner for Team B&B (and for Burke Racing Stable LLC) was trotter Chapercraz in 1:52.4; the fourth sub-1:50 mile was provided by Caviart Camden in the first race, pacing to victory in 1:49.4.
The day’s top trot, a $17,500 contest for developing horses, saw the Wheeling N Dealin LMC Wagon Wheel continue in impressive form, tucking third early then splitting horses in mid-stretch to rally for a 1:54.2 tally for driver Ridge Warren. Owner William Hartt and trainer Dean Eckley acquired the trotter via claim for $37,500 on May 19, and the 4-year-old, an Ontario Gold winner last season, has two wins and a third since moving into their sponsorship, earning $21,700 in that brief period.
Besides Burke/Buter, horsemen with doubles included drivers Braxten Boyd and Anthony Napolitano, the latter the guide of Caviart Camden.
Over $200,000 in purses will be contested by Pennsylvania-sired 3-year-old trotting fillies in their second preliminaries in Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition during Pocono’s 5 p.m. twilight card on Sunday (June 14). First-round Sire Stakes winners Maya Patel Hanover and Wendalyn Hanover are entered, along with the 2025 Champion in this division, Ginger Tree Lex; three first leg PaStS horses will try for two straight in their category. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.