Red Mile: Al Papi takes Tattersalls, pushes Burke past $400 million in earnings

Trainer Ron Burke eclipsed an historic milestone when his trainee Al Papi stormed from off-the-speed to win the $365,000 Grade 2 Tattersalls Pace on closing day Saturday (Oct. 10) at The Red Mile, pushing the conditioner past the $400 million mark in career earnings.

Driver Yannick Gingras got away sixth with Al Papi out of post two as stablemate Ubrute (driven by Jason Bartlett) barreled out of post nine to grab the lead from Sea Bistro Hanover (Todd McCarthy) past a 27 3/5 first quarter. Melillo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), another Burke trainee, soon angled off the cones from fourth in the backstretch, prompting McCarthy to vacate the pocket with Sea Bistro Hanover while forcing Melillo three-wide.

Sea Bistro Hanover looped to a brief lead and relinquished command to Melillo passing a 54 1/5 half while Sweet Lovin Lou (Scott Zeron) cruised uncovered on the rim to the last turn with Al Papi perched on his cover. Sweet Lovin Lou reeled in Melillo spinning by three-quarters in 1:21 3/5 to take a narrow lead as Gingras launched Al Papi outside and gathered the strongest momentum late. Al Papi dashed to the front and pulled clear in the closing strides to post a 1:50 2/5 win over a track rated "good" with Sweet Lovin Lou taking second, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Melillo held third and Show Me Your Ace (Dexter Dunn) took fourth.

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"Once they were going a little bit crazy to the half, Yannick was right in the right spot," Ron Burke said after the race. "Really, this colt's game might be better off those trips, and it's never worked out that way for him, so we're really happy for him."

Al Papi, a 3-year-old homebred colt for Burke Racing Stable, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi, has now won five races from 15 starts this season and nine races from 26 starts in his career, banking $1,349,785 in earnings. The son of Papi Rob Hanover, out of Yankee Cruiser mare and Burke graduate Baron Remy, helped thrust the trainer past $400 million in career earnings with the win, the most earned by any trainer in harness racing history.

"I'm very proud of it; it's very hard," said Burke, who has led all trainers in seasonal earnings for 18 of the last 25 years. "It takes a lot of us; it takes a lot of years. I used to think [$]500 [million] was a slam dunk, but now I'm thinking that's five more years at this pace and I don't know. It's a lot."

Sent off as the third choice in the betting, Al Papi paid $8.18 to win.

--press release (Red Mile)--