The Burke Stable

[Fuguzzi]

5% of 23 million ain't no chicken scratch, that's for sure!

No, but most businesses look for a net/net of around 12 to 15%, I would guess his is more like 7. Still worth 1.5 M per year.

[seen2much]

Is no one concerned on how easily TCI circled the field. Recovering from the break & winning going away made him 20 lengths better then all except his stablemate.
Are all the other two year trotters bad or is TCI far superior?

[seen2much]

I look at results. Travis Alexander wins a high percentage. The barn won at a high percentage while Travis was suspended.
Jeff Gillis was a leading trainer in Canada. He crashed & burned. It looks like Jeff has regained his touch.
Based on that i don't think Covered Bridge & Backstreet Shadow are good examples.

[Fuguzzi]

Is no one concerned on how easily TCI circled the field. Recovering from the break & winning going away made him 20 lengths better then all except his stablemate.
Are all the other two year trotters bad or is TCI far superior?

Not concerned at all. Was it 20, seemed like 15   made a lot of ground in a slow quarter. Contacted the field, grabbed on and he is in a different league than others.

[SeattleSlew]

Not concerned at all. Was it 20, seemed like 15   made a lot of ground in a slow quarter. Contacted the field, grabbed on and he is in a different league than others.

I agree!  About 35 years ago I had a trotter in to go at the Meadowlands.  It was a claiming "handicap" and we had the highest claiming price on our horse, so he was given the 10 hole.  Ben Webster was driving and he broke out of the gate, so was easily 15 lengths off the lead.  Down the backstretch he caught the field and at the head of the lane Bennie pulled wide and just trotted down the field and won by a neck.  Can't remember who the race caller was that night, but he said something to the effect.."I don't believe it!"   Horse's name was Future Pro (out of Florida Pro) and he was one solid, tough trotter.  We did not put him back in claimers for a while.

[theokodjak26]

Howard Oil? 

[Generation XYZ]

Is this really a thread??? unless your willing to go to the mat STFU.

[Brown jug]

well, i think burke took about $1.3 m out of mohawk saturday
so that aint all bad

[Fuguzzi]

I agree!  About 35 years ago I had a trotter in to go at the Meadowlands.  It was a claiming "handicap" and we had the highest claiming price on our horse, so he was given the 10 hole.  Ben Webster was driving and he broke out of the gate, so was easily 15 lengths off the lead.  Down the backstretch he caught the field and at the head of the lane Bennie pulled wide and just trotted down the field and won by a neck.  Can't remember who the race caller was that night, but he said something to the effect.."I don't believe it!"   Horse's name was Future Pro (out of Florida Pro) and he was one solid, tough trotter.  We did not put him back in claimers for a while.

OmG, Future Pro! an excellent trotter on the Metro NY/NJ circuit   Nice that you owned him   That just took me back

[Mailbox Money]

Mark Weaver and Mike Bruscemi gamble. Trust me.

What happened to Steve Buscemi?

[kooter for hipin]

i believe you. Frank Popfinger once told me as a young kid. If you dont make twice as much gambling as your horse earns racing youll go broke in this business. And nobody did better than Frank betting his own money. I could tell you stories you literally would not believe about frank.

Yes, I would believe because he also trained and drove several of my horses. I can tell you all about the Moonstone Bay affair for instance. You could bet at the front windows at Roosevelt and walk around to the other side and wait for the "Official light" and collect.  The same was true with "Golden Hands" and Cobb. Do you remember Maida Million, probably the fastest Mare for the times ? I lived in Old Brookville at the time, 15 minutes from Orbachs.

[kooter for hipin]

i believe you. Frank Popfinger once told me as a young kid. If you dont make twice as much gambling as your horse earns racing youll go broke in this business. And nobody did better than Frank betting his own money. I could tell you stories you literally would not believe about frank.

Do  you think Lawyer Taylor gambles. I read an article that said he has 125 horses in training. WOW! I also notice that they are quite spread out. Perhaps some sort of barter deal. Nothing wrong with that, I guess.

[Anakin]

Covered Bridge, Lou's Sweetrevenge and Pyro are others who have improved and done very well after Burke sold.

Many horses have a good racing career after Burke.  Somewhere in L.A. made a lot of money after Burke who got him from MacIntosh in Canada.  Winning Shadow won a ton of races for Burke and after still won over 10 a year.  Right now Backstreet Shadow is a Burke "castoff" after 2 trainers previously and in the form of his life. 

Burke is very well known for getting nickle breds especially trotters, and turning them into money earners consistently.

[rainman2]

yeah, but so many ways to bleed cash, I would imagine at best their net/net is maybe 7 or 8 percent, so yeah maybe a million or a tick over.

I believe Sam’s/Costco run on about 15%.  We don’t see Burke et al downsizing the operation from face value on what we see/hear in the business.

[rainman2]

Where are the pools even large enough to actually show a profit gambling on harness racing? I know plenty of guys that used to grind out a living ever year betting but today there is no way anyone can make a good score because the pools are small everywhere. It would have to be a multi race wager and then you show me someone that bets pic 3, 4, and 5’s and I’ll show you a loser in the long run. And I can’t remember that last time I actually saw a Ron Burke winning horse pay over $20. He is overbet in every race. They fir sure aren’t making very much through the windows. Trust me on this.

Are they betting into the pools and helping the sport or through other channels??  That is now the question of the day!