They say records are made to be broken but that’s easier said than done. For the sport’s leading trainer Ron Burke, there was hardly a possibility his vast stable could match the incredible performance put forth in the 2014 racing season. The Burke brigade elevated their record-setting purse total to more than $28 million for that year. The number was $6 million greater than Burke’s horses had won during any other year. “I never thought we would beat that record,” said Burke proudly over a 2025 campaign that has seen the stable go over the $30 million mark for the first time, unheard of 11 years ago but incredible today. “I think the biggest difference this year from the others is the number of stakes races we won.” What separates Burke from any other trainer in the sport is more than a numbers game. It’s a logistics game where the stable has evolved as the power has shifted from state to state over time. “Back in 2014 most of the success happened in Pennsylvania,” Burke said. “The overnight money was very strong.” With Burke’s base of operations centered at The Meadows, Pennsylvania helped the stable reach the heights in 2014, but almost a dozen years later nothing looks the same other than the incredible results. “You know I’ve got all of the same guys that were with me back in 2014 still doing it today,” said Burke, obviously proud of the accomplishment. “All the trainers are still with me, and Yannick (Gingras) is still going strong. We’ve added Chris (Page), Ronnie (Wrenn Jr.) and Dexter (Dunn), and that’s been great.” The stable actually exceeded $31 million on December 17 and eclipsed the 1,100 win mark (Dec. 16) for the second time in the last three years in the process. What’s fascinating about the Burke stable’s trajectory over time is how it has evolved from a barn that primarily raced overnight horses – having its greatest impact on the sport usually with veterans – to now becoming a stable that routinely is at the top in virtually all Sire Stakes races throughout North America, with freshman and sophomores competing at the highest level. It’s not an easy transition to make and there are always bumps in the road, but the conversion has shown that Burke and company have figured out the breeding business as well. The success of homebreds in the stable has been growing with each year as Burke has combined his own pacing mares and produced an escalating list of world champions with champions like Loua Dipa and Louprint cut from that mold. “I give Mark Weaver all of the credit for the breeding operation,” said Burke of his longtime partner who has focused on those important decisions and has struck gold along the way, which has to be the envy of some who have plied that trade for decades without producing champions. “We made some mistakes,” said Burke bluntly of the addition of the breeding business. “We found out we weren’t raising the horses properly and we handed that over to people who knew how to.” Both Louprint and Loua Dipa were sired by Burke’s standout racehorse and now the sport’s leading sire Sweet Lou. It was not a fait accompli for Sweet Lou in the stallion ranks or even after the first few crops hit the racetrack. “We always had faith in him,” Burke said of Sweet Lou. “He just wasn’t getting the right kind of mares and that wasn’t giving him a chance.”  Burke and company found the right kind of mares for Sweet Lou and then others joined in helping to elevate his stature. It is never a straight line from the training track to the winner’s circle and while nearly everything went right this year for Burke, there was a bump in the road. “I wasn’t happy with the way Louprint went out,” said Burke, referring to the final race of his brilliant career in the Breeders Crown. “He’s the best horse I’ve ever had.” Now retired and starting stallion duty in 2026 in Ohio at Winterwood Farm under the management of Diamond Creek, Louprint’s departure from the track left Burke wondering what could’ve been. “I’m a racing guy first,” said Burke. “I believe if he came back to race again, he would put up Bulldog Hanover kind of numbers.” While horses come and horses go for Burke, it seems more horses come than go as the stable’s supply continues to swell. Burke has adopted a policy that he feels works best for his horses. “With the numbers we have if a horse needs time to rest, we just give it to him and wait for him to come back,” Burke said. The luxury has helped the stable add to its roster. “We’ve got over 500 horses.” The number seems staggering, but it represents how far Burke has come in the sport and just how well his team of trainers at seven satellite locations works with him on a day-to-day basis. “The technology has changed a lot,” said Burke. “I speak to my trainers every day and they send me videos of the training sessions, so I get to see all of the horses as well.” The luxury of videos may be fine, but Burke will be active this winter with coming 2-year-olds in training in Florida. “I’ll spend two or three weeks in Florida, then go to Jersey for a week and then to The Meadows,” said Burke, hoping to get a firsthand feel of how his horses are preparing for the coming season. Giving horses time paid off in the biggest sense this year for Burke with his Horse of the Year contender Lexus Kody. The 7-year-old gelded son of Archangel authored an impressive streak of success through the summer, with the highlights including a victory in the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot and the Maple Leaf Trot during an 11-win campaign that closed out with a powerful victory in the FanDuel. A trotter that needed time to figure out how to race went from a horse that had to race on the front end to one that was manageable and resilient when called upon. Though Louprint won’t return for a 4-year-old season, Burke does have a trotter coming back that he has high hopes for. On To Norway ended his 3-year-old season on a 23-race win streak. The son of Muscle Massive just devoured his Indiana rivals, dominating on every occasion at Hoosier Park. “I’m really looking forward to see what he can do next year,” said Burke. “I’ve had some pretty good luck with horses coming out of here, like Hannelore Hanover and M-M’s Dream.”  The implication is clear that the Indiana program has worked well to provide the foundation for some of the sport’s best as aged performers. Like any championship team The Burke Brigade has benefited from solid organization with a dedicated staff that understands and knows how to execute at a high level. It wouldn’t be possible if not for a leader with the energy and commitment of Ron Burke. “Most of us are in our mid-50’s and should be slowing down,” Burke said. “But there’s plenty left to do.”