Burke hopes T C I is on course for Hambletonian

After watching T C I (Cantab Hall) lose back-to-back starts for the first time in his career, trainer Ron Burke hopes to have his 3-year-old harness racing trotter heading back in the right direction.

T C I, who last season earned $1.23 million to become the richest 2-year-old male trotter in history, was third in a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial on July 13 at The Meadowlands, the colt’s final prep ahead of his Hambletonian Stakes elimination Saturday at The Big M. T C I finished three-quarters of a length behind winner Situationship, who stopped the timer in a career-best 1:51.1.

In his previous race, the Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial on July 4 at Vernon Downs, T C I made an early break and finished fourth. His two setbacks occurred after beginning 2024 with three straight wins.

“The year started out good and then the last couple I was like, ‘eh,’ ‘eh,’ and I couldn’t really put a finger on it,” Burke said. “So, we kind of did a complete physical on him last week and found a couple things that we didn’t know were going on with him that are very correctable.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that he will be significantly better. The time off was good for him. He trained really good (Wednesday); I was really happy with him.”

Prior to the Dancer, Burke got the sense T C I might not be on top of his game.

“When I warmed him up, he was just as blah as blah could be,” Burke said. “He was just not himself. Now, I would say he was 90 percent back to himself training. I have two more days (to prepare for the Hambletonian elim) and hopefully we’ll make the final. I think in the two weeks, I’ll have this horse perfectly ironed out.

“Losing, in a way, was a help because it was a wake-up call that we needed to start being a little more diligent on making sure he was all right.”

T C I, who received the 2023 O’Brien Award for best 2-year-old male trotter to race in Canada, has won 13 of 17 career starts. Last year, his victories included the Mohawk Million, William Wellwood Memorial and Peter Haughton Memorial.

T C I was named for vacation destination Turks and Caicos Islands. He is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services Inc., and Weaver Bruscemi.

The colt, ranked No. 2 in Meadowlands announcer/analyst Ken Warkentin’s Road to the Hambletonian Top 10, will head to Saturday’s second of two $100,000 Hambletonian eliminations as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 10. The top-five finishers from each elim will advance to the $1.05 million Hambletonian final, the sport’s premier race for 3-year-old trotters, Aug. 3 at The Big M.

T C I’s elim also includes Zweig Memorial champ Dame Good Time, who is 3-1 on the morning line and will leave from post seven with Scott Zeron driving for trainer Travis Alexander, and last week’s Tompkins-Geers Stakes winner Secret Agent Man, who is 4-1 and will start from post three with Andy Miller driving for Julie Miller.

“I don’t really worry about who I’m in with; I worry about mine and having them ready,” Burke said. “I do think, looking at it at a glance, I’d rather be in my elimination than the other elimination. Mine is pretty solid all the way throughout, but I don’t think it’s got the stars in it that the other one does.”

In the first elimination, Karl, trained by Nancy Takter and No. 1 in the Road to the Hambletonian rankings, is the 4-5 morning-line favorite. He will start from post six with driver Yannick Gingras. Joining Karl (Tactical Landing) in the field are Goodtimes Stakes champion Highland Kismet and Stanley Dancer Memorial division winners Sig Sauer and Situationship.

Sig Sauer, Situationship, and Highland Kismet occupy spots three through five, respectively, in the Road to the Hambletonian rankings.

Elimination winners draw for post positions one through five followed by the remaining finalists receiving their posts in an open draw. The draw will be conducted July 30 at Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, N.J.

In addition to sending out T C I in a Hambletonian elim, Burke has one horse in each of Saturday’s three $50,000 eliminations of the $675,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old female trotters at The Meadowlands. Spy Coast is 4-1 on the morning line in the first, Draw The Line is 15-1 in the second, and Kinesiology is 12-1 in the third.

The top-three finishers from each elim plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest lifetime earnings will advance to the $525,000 Oaks final, also Aug. 3 at The Meadowlands.

Spy Coast won two preliminary legs of the New Jersey Sire Stakes and finished fourth in the final. The daughter of Walner-Zeppole heads to her Oaks elim off second place finishes in divisions of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial and Tompkins-Geers Stakes, both at The Big M.

Draw The Line was a Grand Circuit winner last year at Lexington’s Red Mile and has a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes division victory to her credit this season. The daughter of Cantab Hall-Ridge Speed goes to her Oaks elimination off a fourth-place finish in a division of the Del Miller Memorial.

Kinesiology, a daughter of Walner-Muscle Test, was third last week in a division of the Tompkins-Geers and won the consolation division of the Zweig Memorial for fillies on July 4 at Vernon Downs.

“Spy Coast is my best chance,” Burke said. “On her best day, she’s right there with the best fillies. Draw The Line is getting better. She wasn’t good her last start, but we found something with her and worked on her. Kinesiology is getting better every start. She was locked and loaded last week and just got out late.

“I think have a good chance of making the final, and then being competitive in the final.”

French Champagne, who won a division of the Del Miller Memorial, is the 2-1 favorite in the first Oaks elimination. Elista Hanover, who has won nine consecutive races since opening her season with a third-place finish, is the 6-5 favorite in the second. Date Night Hanover, who won this year’s Zweig Memorial for fillies, is the 5-2 favorite in the third.

Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EDT) at The Meadowlands. For free TrackMaster programs for the Big M, click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA