Lexington, KY — Ron Burke’s star of his 2025 sophomore class, Louprint, maintained his perfect record on the season with a 1:46.3 exhibition to win the second of two divisions for the $440,000 Grade 2 Tattersalls Pace, sponsored by Cameo Hills Farm, on Sunday (Oct. 5) at The Red Mile.
Driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. set sail out of fourth with Louprint in the first turn and cleared stablemate Swingtown (driven by Yannick Gingras) through a :27.4 first quarter. Wrenn let his charge roll up the backside, clocking a half in :53.3, and cruised through the last turn to pace by three-quarters in 1:20.1. Swingtown angled outside and mildly pressed Louprint in the lane before the Sweet Lou-Rockin Racer colt reached in the reserves for another burst. Louprint sprinted away in the last eighth to best Swingtown by 2-1/2 lengths while World Of Wishes (Dexter Dunn) chased off a ground-saving trip for third and Captain Optimistic (Scott Zeron) settled for fourth from a first-over trip.
“I wasn’t worried about a world record,” Ronnie Wrenn Jr. said after the race. “I just wanted to win the race, but he was terrific today. He’s pretty sharp right now.”
“I was expecting that he could win, I just didn’t know how the trip would work out,” trainer Ron Burke also said after the race. “It’s funny – at the top of the lane when Swingtown was on his back, we’ve had that scenario probably 10 times training and he’s never gotten to him, and I’m thinking ‘is this going to be the one time he’s going to get to him?’ But the colt just digs; he wants to win.”
Louprint remained perfect from 10 starts this season while collecting his 17th victory from 20 starts in his career and earning $1,751,712 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Phillip Collura and Larry Karr. He paid $2.42 to win.
Handsome Stranger (Andy McCarthy) capitalized from a tumultuous battle between leaders Prince Hal Hanover (Todd McCarthy) and Madden Oaks (Braxten Boyd) to storm over the top and nail a 1:48.1 victory as the longest shot on the board in the first division of the Tattersalls.
Prince Hal Hanover, the 2-5 favorite, pushed out of post eight to grab the lead from Papis Pistol (Jason Bartlett) after a :26 first quarter and sailed up the backstretch to clock a :52.4 half. Boyd angled Madden Oaks outside from sixth and charged uncovered up the rim and reached Prince Hal Hanover’s neck moving around the last turn. The rivals sped in tandem by three-quarters in 1:19.4 but they both rounded the bottom corner on fumes. Madden Oaks forged forward to a narrow lead but Prince Hal Hanover fought back at the inside as the backfield loomed late. Fusion (Dexter Dunn) burst through a seam at the inside while Handsome Stranger charged widest of all from last, and Handsome Stranger managed to snatch the win from Fusion by a neck at odds of 86-1. Prince Hal Hanover held his ground for third and Madden Oaks settled for fourth.
“He’s actually been finishing really good every start, coming home in :26, :25 in tough sire stakes competition,” trainer Per Engblom said after the race. “And today they went fast enough up front, so it was good enough for us. Obviously he proved today that he belongs now and he’s been getting stronger as the year’s gone.”
A gelding by Tall Dark Stranger-Silk Beach, Handsome Stranger won his third race from 18 starts this season and his fourth race from 28 starts in his career, earning $217,892. He competes for owners Morrison Racing Stables, Brian Gordon and Stephen Gordon. He paid $174.16 to win.