HARRISBURG PA – The “Burke Brigade” had top contenders in many of the battles in the racehorse divisions this year, and trainer Ron Burke set a record of $31 million for conditioners in a single year. All will be honored by the United States Harness Writers Association in the year-end Dan Patch Awards voting – Burke as trainer and the partnership of Weaver-Bruscemi LLC (Mark Weaver and Mike Bruscemi) and Burke Racing Stable LLC (Weaver-Bruscemi LLC combined with Burke family matriarch Sylvia) as Owners of the Year.
Jason Bartlett, who had set career highs in several major categories and was the No. 1 sulkysmith in terms of revenue with $16.3 million through 2025, was named Executive of the Year in the poll.
Burke/Weaver-Bruscemi won its fourth Owner Award: the combine was named top in 2013 and 2018, and then they repeated last year’s success with another win this year. “B/WB” was the individual leader in the owners derby; their horses had earned nearly $5.7 million and were led by 2-year-old filly Loua Dipa, who is the favorite to be crowned champion of her division in this Sunday’s announcement of the leading racehorses (to be simulcast live on Harrah’s Philadelphia signal at approximately noon, with the press releases at the end of the show). The Brigade’s night fighters contributed the bulk of that money, while thirteen horses were six-figure earners during the campaign.
Burke/Weaver-Bruscemi has always been known for introducing partners to the highest Grand Circuit levels of harness racing, and indeed three of the top four money earners, including partnerships behind them, are often in the owners ranks, along with a B/WB horse: Knox Services Inc., Phillip Collura and Lawrence Karr. Louprint and Lexus Kody, giants of the 2025 track and favorites in the Dan Patch division battles, are included in the partnerships.
Ron Burke is the ‘general’ who keeps the operation running with the Brigade’s various ‘battalions’ on the race tracks, plus their ‘Grand Circuit’ battalion, with an incredible breadth of oversight and knowledge of his far-flung empire. He also wins his fourth prize in the training category: he was also the writers’ choice in 2011, 2013 and 2018, and his father Mickey Sr. won the prize in 2006.
Again, the racehorses often dominate at their own specific locations: Approaching press time late in the season, Burke was the lead trainer at Dayton, The Meadowlands, The Meadows (his home base) and Pocono Downs, and was in the top five at four others.
The Burke Brigade’s “Grand Circuit Battalion” was truly a “Murderer’s Row” of talent. It includes two 2025 millionaires: Lexus Kody, the top money-winning horse overall with $1,371,651, and Louprint ($1,025,971), along with a pair of winners over $750,000, Loua Dipa and Sippinonsearoc. As noted, some of these stars will almost certainly achieve additional fame with further Dan Patch Awards winner announcements.
Jason Bartlett grew up in harness racing with his family in Maine, won the 2008 Rising Star Award from the USHWA and has established himself in harness racing’s highest competitions, with a long string of driving titles at Yonkers Raceway, the track with the biggest purses in North America.
Bartlett took his career to the next level in 2025: by going ‘on the road’ more and driving several stakes competitors, Bartlett saw the horses he rode earn $16.3 million to lead all North American drivers. He also ranks second in the sprint standings (at his current pace he will surpass 800), and his UDR of .454 also ranks second among all North American competitors. It takes a special rider to win the UDR titles at Yonkers Raceway and The Meadowlands, but Bartlett did it and was crowned in this category at Pocono as well.
Bartlett won the first two Breeders Crowns of his career this season with Spencer Hanover and French Wine, and was the regular driver for Dandy Ideal, who raced in the sport’s “glamour division” (three-year-old pacing males) and earned more than $900,000. Bartlett has at least three victories in the New York Sire Stakes Championships, the Big Apple Stakes and the Matron Stakes. Jason has risen to the top of the driver ranks to the point where he won 70 races by 2025 with a purse of $100,000 or more.
The Burkes, Weaver, Bruscemi and Bartlett will all be recognized at the 2026 Dan Patch Awards Banquet presented by Caesars Entertainment, which will honor the best of the best in harness racing, both human and equine. The banquet will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. Sponsor information for the banquet can be obtained from Shawn Wiles at [email protected]; You can advertise in the souvenir journal via Kim Rinker [email protected]; tickets via Judy Davis-Wilson, [email protected]; for room reservations, click here hotellink. More information about the banquet and associated USHWA meetings that weekend will be available soon at www.usharnesswriters.com.
The United States Harness Writers Association is the leading group of communicators on the Standardbred horse field. USHWA conducts the official annual voting for the sport’s most prestigious honors: induction into the Hall of Fame and Communicators Hall of Fame, along with the selection of the Horse of the Year, Trotter and Pacer of the Year, and each season’s leading division horses. Each year, USHWA hosts the Dan Patch Awards Banquet, honoring the best and brightest performers in North American harness racing. This banquet is the association’s primary source of funding, and with generous financial support from the harness racing and breeding industries, USHWA is able to host the banquet in a world-class manner in a world-class facility.
From the Harness Writers Association of the United States
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