by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — As the races for divisional honors head toward the finish line, trainer Ron Burke is hoping for continued strong performances from his horses down the stretch.

Burke sends 18 horses into Friday’s stakes action at Hoosier Park, not to mention five more to Vernon Downs for stakes engagements on Saturday.

Among Burke’s top contenders at Hoosier are 3-year-old male pacers JK Endofanera and Limelight Beach in the $275,000 Monument Circle, older male pacers Clear Vision, Foiled Again and Sweet Lou in the $211,500 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby, and 3-year-old female trotter Market Rally in the $193,000 Moni Maker Stakes.

“There is still money left out there, so you want to finish up strong with some of these,” Burke said. “We usually tend to do good in races at the end of the year. We’ve always done that. It’s been more of a tradition that we tend to start poorly and do better late. Hopefully it will continue.”

Burke’s stable already has earned a record $23.75 million this year and is nearing 1,000 wins for the second consecutive season. His earnings are the most for any trainer in horse racing, more than $3.70 million ahead of Thoroughbred leader Todd Pletcher.

Last year, Burke’s horses won 262 races over the final three months of the campaign. Only three other trainers won more races — in the entire year. This season, Burke has 109 victories in October, including 25 in stakes events.

REB photo

JK Endofanera has won four straight, including a victory in the American-National on Oct. 11.

JK Endofanera is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Monument Circle, a race won by Burke two of the past three years. JK Endofanera brings a four-race win streak to the race, including victories in the American-National Stakes and a division of the Tattersalls Pace. Last week he won a division of the Circle City at Hoosier.

For the year, the son of Art Major-Presidential Lady has won 10 of 15 races and $936,145 for breeder/owner 3 Brothers Stables.

Joe Holloway-trained Always B Miki, who also won a Tattersalls division and has captured seven of his last eight starts, is the 5-2 second choice, followed by Limelight Beach at 3-1.

Limelight Beach has won four of his last five races, including the Little Brown Jug. The gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere-Benear has banked $539,118 this season. He is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, M1 Stable, and Wingfield Brothers.

“All my 3-year-olds have been real good recently,” said Burke, who also has At Press Time, Forty Five Red, and Big Boy Dreams entered in the Monument Circle. “They’re finishing up the year strong. I’m glad about that.

“The Monument Circle is our best two shots (Friday) with JK (Endofanera) and Limelight Beach. We’ll see how that works. They’ve got to beat Always B Miki.”

McWicked leads all 3-year-old male pacers in purses, with $1.01 million, followed by JK Endofanera, All Bets Off, He’s Watching, Always B Miki, and Limelight Beach.

“There are three or four horses (that could win divisional honors); whoever wins the Breeders Crown is probably the 3-year-old of the year,” Burke said. “It’s going to be exciting. It’s not like last year, where it already was all decided (with Captaintreacherous). Coming into the Breeders Crown this year, there’s still a lot up for grabs.”

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Clear Vision (No. 2) held off Foiled Again to win the Dayton Pacing Derby.

Clear Vision is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Hoosier Park Pacing Derby, followed by Foiled Again at 5-2 and Sweet Lou at 7-2. Burke-trained Bettor’s Edge and Easy Again also are part of the 10-horse field.

Foiled Again won the Hoosier Park Pacing Derby (then named the Indiana Pacing Derby and raced at Indiana Downs) in 2011 and 2012. Clear Vision is coming off a win last week in the Dayton Pacing Derby, where he edged Foiled Again by a nose.

Sweet Lou won 10 consecutive races during the summer, and has earned $958,558 this year, but heads to the Pacing Derby trying to snap a three-race losing streak.

“Lou trained great this week,” Burke said. “I went out and trained him myself on Tuesday and I was very happy with him. I think he’ll be back to himself.

“Bettor’s Edge and Clear Vision drew great spots and Foiled is still Foiled. Hopefully we should do alright. They’ve stayed sound all year, all of them, and raced great. I could see them finishing up the year great too.”

Burke’s Rose Run Parker is the 4-1 second choice in the $230,000 Carl Erskine Trot for 3-year-old male trotters. Multiple-stakes-winner Father Patrick, from the stable of Jimmy Takter, is the 3-5 morning line favorite.

Takter also has the top choices in the Moni Maker — Shake It Cerry and Lifetime Pursuit — followed by Burke’s Market Rally, who is a two-time New York Sire Stakes champion trying open stakes company for only the third time in her career.

“She’s in very tough, against very good horses,” Burke said. “But I’ve always wanted to see what Market Rally would do against top horses, so I’m excited to see what she’ll do there.”