Favorite Dude’s The Man dashes local harness trainer’s hopes
The race that Ron Burke hasn’t been able to win in his seven years as a head trainer appeared to be within reach. This local trainer from Canonsburg had three horses in the final Saturday of the Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids, and one of them, My Hero Ron, led the group three-quarters of the way through the race at The Meadows Casino and Racetrack.
But then, My Hero Ron faded. The race favorite, Dude’s The Man, trained by Jessica Okusko, emerged from the pack down the stretch after spending much of the race in fourth place. Dude’s The Man surged past the competition, crossing the finish line two lengths ahead of another of Burke’s horses, Yankee Bounty, in 1:48.4, the fourth-fastest time in Adios history.
My Hero Ron dropped to fifth place with a final time of 1:50.1 after a strong start. Yankee Bounty edged Lost For Words by a neck for second, finishing in 1:49.1.
Okusko, who said she trains 22 or 23 horses in Vernon, N.Y., with her husband Howard, had never had a horse compete in the Adios Pace. This year’s event was the first time she had been to The Meadows Casino.
In keeping with her typical race-day routine, Okusko did not watch the beginning of the race. When she turned toward the track at the halfway point, the nerves did not fade right away. But after her horse’s dominant stretch run, Okusko was thrilled with Dude’s The Man’s performance.
“He’s just got a great attitude,” Okusko said. “He loves to race, he loves his job. He’s got a great attitude.”
Okusko bought the horse in from Harrisburg, a move that proved fruitful. Dude’s The Man won $200,000 of the race’s $400,000 purse.
Burke, who became the first trainer in harness racing to surpass $100 million in prize money in 2014, still enjoyed a lucrative race. In addition to recording topfive finishes with Yankee Bounty and My Hero Ron, Burke’s other horse, Cooperstown, finished in fourth. The three horses combined to net $152,000 in the race. In the 17-race card, Burke’s horses won more than $300,000.
Despite the sum of money, Burke still fell short of his only goal leading up to the Adios, which was earning a first-place finish..
Corey Callahan, who drove Dude’s The Man, said the strategy of emerging from the pack was purposeful. The horse has a tendency to jump shadows, unable to discern what exactly they are. Being covered by other horses delays that phenomenon.
The strategy was even more extreme in the qualifiers, when Callahan kept Dude’s The Man in last place for a time with the goal of earning a spot in the final the primary goal. Saturday, Callahan received a strike of good luck in that the shadows were limited toward the end of the race.
“Around the last turn, the clouds kind of came out and that was it,” Callahan said.
Though Callahan knew Dude’s The Man would have to come from behind, he determined that he did not want the horse to fall back further than fifth. That proved not to be an issue, allowing Callahan to prepare the horse to make its move down the stretch.
“My strategy was just to get away as close as I could,” Callahan said. “I wanted to be either first or second over, and it worked out.”
Dude’s The Man won’t have long to wait for his next race. Okusko said the horse will race next weekend at The Meadowlands.
She believes the best has yet to come.
“Every week he just seems to be improving,” Okusko said. “He seems to be peaking at the perfect moment. Every week he surprises me. It’s awesome.”