Trainer Ron Burke is in a state of constant motion, which is no surprise since he is the main man behind the leading Standardbred barn in North America. From my position in the paddock at Yonkers Raceway on MGM Yonkers International Trot Day, it was hard to miss the 53-year-old trainer with an astronomical 14,000-plus wins to his credit pacing around with a cell phone in his hand while never stopping to sit down for a rest, unless you count sitting in a jog cart while warming up horses. While most stables may've had one or two horses vying for the $3.3 million in purse money up for grabs on the September 9 afternoon card, the Burke stable had 10 horses spread through seven of the 11 races. The barn's earning potential was $1.375 million, and it was clearly a day of peaks and troughs, though the depths of despair when things didn't go as planned weren't very deep. The day began with Burke picking up a pair of third-place checks in a couple of $225,000 New York Sire Stakes races with horses that could win but were hardly expected to do so. Then came the $250,000 Bob Miecuna Trot where his M-M's Dream made an early winning move to the front, but along the way to victory, parked out her stablemate Hillexotic (fifth) in the process. "It's the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat when your two horses are going at it against each other," said Burke, who is no stranger to that on-track occurrence. M-M's Dream scored her sixth victory in nine starts this year and career win 24 from 30 starts despite racing on a surface smaller than seven-eighths for the first time in her career. "I talked to the Amish people who trained her down and they told me [racing on the half-mile track] would be no issue. They trained her on a half her whole life and they said she would go around anything," said Burke, who put the 4-year-old's future in perspective. "I think next year she could be special; we'll see." M-M's Dream will start next in the Miss Versatility final on Little Brown Jug Day (September 21) at the Delaware County Fair before heading to the Dayton Oaks at Hollywood Dayton on September 30. One of the highlights of the day for Burke certainly came one race later when Chapercraz set a track record of 1:53 4/5 in winning the 3-year-old colt and gelding NY Sire Stakes final. The son of Crazy Wow joined the barn in early June and Burke has high expectations for the distant future. "That is a good horse. It is a shame he wasn't eligible to a lot of the big races. The one time we raced him in the Grand Circuit at Vernon in the Zweig he was flying for second. He does have the Canadian Trotting Derby [eliminations on September 16 at Woodbine Mohawk Park] and that's it for him for the year," said Burke, who outlined the start of 2024. "We'll supplement him to the Hambletonian Maturity next year and he'll have a full schedule with the Graduate Series and stuff like that." It is worth noting that while Chapercraz was winning as the 3-2 second choice, barn-mate Sevecheetah finished sixth as a longshot. The highlight for Burke was supposed to be the $1,000,000 MGM Yonkers International Trot as It's Academic, the richest older trotter in North America this year, took his shot against global competition.  When the gate sprung, most people in the paddock were surprised that driver David Miller didn't have the 6-year-old forwardly placed. Instead the 3-1 second choice was on and off the cones in mid-pack before uncorking a burst of speed down the backstretch the final time to engage the leader. It's Academic loomed boldly but lacked staying power and faded to fourth, beaten six lengths. "David and I agree he drove badly, but we just don't agree on where he drove badly. I thought he should've left and dropped in the two-hole. He thinks he should've waited longer to make his move," said Burke, who brought up an interesting point that perhaps goes unnoticed by the general public. "It's Academic had a little trouble pulling out today; he didn't act like himself, so maybe he wasn't as good as he's been. Some horses, when you take them out of their routines and they aren't home for 30 hours [due to detention at Yonkers], it's different for them. He's a very anxious stud that likes to scream, and I'm sure he was trying to show everyone what a clown he can be." Burke said that his team would "go over" It's Academic before his next start on September 22 in the Caesar's Trotting Classic at Harrah's Hoosier Park to make sure "everything is copasetic with him." Even though It's Academic only finished fourth in the International Trot, Burke hasn't given up on the possibility of sending the Brad Grant-owned near double millionaire to Paris in late January for the Prix d'Amerique. "That is a bigger track where he can race his style more. I would still love to do it, and I would go over early enough to give him time to adjust. I would go with him too, so that would make a difference as well, I hope," said Burke. Things were back on a high note after the $250,000 Aria Invitational Pace when Bythemissal and driver Yannick Gingras were able to rate a very soft 30 3/5 third quarter before sprinting the final half in 55 seconds to win easily by three lengths. The 4-year-old gelding has now won seven of nine races on the year and a spectacular 21 of 26 career starts. "I don't think there is a limit on what he can do; he's very versatile, he can race any way on any size track. He's a gelding so the only goal is to win races, not make a stallion, so any time there is money available we are going to try to get it," said Burke, who then spoke on the possibility that Bythemissal could break the 1:46 winning-time barrier. "For sure he can. If someone gets him down there in 1:18 he'll be right on their back. With him, I don't care because he's a gelding. If he goes in 1:43 it doesn't matter. I just want to have a long career with him and win a lot of money." Bythemissal is scheduled to make his next appearance in the Hoosier Park Pacing Derby on September 22. Burke's Yonkers racing day wrapped up with a fourth-place finish by Taste Of Honey in the final NY Sire Stakes event on the card. He finished that portion of his afternoon by seeing eight of his 10 horses get checks and earning $473,000. Despite some ups and downs, he was happy (perhaps because we spoke after Bythemissal's win). "Overall, when you win three races for over $225,000 in a day you're happy," said Burke, whose day of watching races was hardly over. The trainer still had 19 horses in-to-go on Ohio Super Night at Scioto Downs, as well as many other horses racing at other tracks in the evening. While most would think he'd be on the go with some of the drivers catching a plane for Ohio, Burke was staying put on the East Coast so he wouldn't miss a minute of the action. "If I went to Ohio I would miss a third of the card while in flight. I'll just go back to the hotel and watch or watch from the Meadowlands," said Burke. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter International Trot Day News and Notes While the initial general consensus on social media about the $5 "Lucky" Pick 5 wager offered for four cards at Yonkers Raceway was negative, that the end result was a $139,000 carryover and $462,986 total pool on International Trot Day was intriguing and makes you wonder about the viability of offering a high-minimum wager on a more regular basis. While I only go back 35 years or so, even my memory includes the $3 base trifecta bet Yonkers used to offer. I don't recall liking it then but my bankroll was also a lot smaller in those days. Whether you took a dive into the $5 minimum pool or not, you have to give credit to the SOA of New York and Yonkers Raceway for their willingness to try something new. SOA President Joe Faraldo agreed that perhaps the $5 minimum was too high and a lower number may make the wager more reachable for the "everyday Joe" while still providing the challenge necessary to induce large carryovers. Hopefully Yonkers – or some other track – will embrace the idea for the long haul with perhaps a $2 minimum. Personally I'd prefer it with a 75-25% split so those with the most winners get something each night. I'd also like to see a mandatory payout every time the pool hits $100,000 because that really gets people talking about the bet. And for those of you who don't like the higher minimums because of the investment needed to play, find some friends and make a community ticket. That's what I did, and so did others I know. Huge Yonkers Handle Powered by the huge "Lucky" 5 carryover, Yonkers posted what could be the highest handle it has seen in decades. For 11 races the total was a solid $1.54 million according to totals on the USTA's results page. For historians of the game, the all-time record at Yonkers came on December 15, 1969 when the track handled $3.2 million. As that was pre-simulcasting, you can bet it was all on-track. Detention Barn Trainer Ron Burke brought it up briefly above, but it is worth mentioning that having a detention barn in the paddock at Yonkers Raceway isn't exactly ideal. The thought of ensuring that every horse is competing on a level playing field is a good one, but simply taking horses out of their comfort zone certainly produces a new handicapping variable that is a big unknown.