Burke high on Meadowlands Pace hopeful Gung Ho

Ron Burke has had a limited amount of time to get to know Gung Ho (Captaintreacherous-Silky), but the harness racing trainer is enthusiastic about the recent addition to his stable.

A 3-year-old male pacer, Gung Ho joined the Burke Brigade on June 18, a day after the horse’s third-place finish in the consolation event for the North America Cup. Three weeks later, the colt makes his debut for his new connections as Burke’s lone starter in Saturday’s eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace at The Meadowlands.

Gung Ho heads to the race with 11 top-three finishes in 18 career starts, including two wins, and $86,794 in earnings. Previously trained by Amanda Fine, he was third behind Dan Patch and O’Brien award-winning Stockade Seelster and Moment Is Here in a division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes earlier this year. In 2022, he was second in a division of the Bluegrass, sandwiched between winner Handlelikeaporsche and It’s My Show.

“He’s a great-looking horse,” Burke said about Gung Ho, who had been purchased for $120,000 at the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and counts three Grand Circuit winners (Malicious, Ms Malicious and Captain Malicious) and a Breeders Crown runner-up (Beach Body) among his siblings.

“We thought we could add another horse or two to our group of 3-year-olds, and he’s got a full stakes schedule. I trained him and we really liked him. Like, really liked him. He trained as good as any horse I’ve trained in a long time.”

Gung Ho is in the second of Saturday’s two $50,000 Meadowlands Pace eliminations for sophomore pacers. The eight-horse field includes North America Cup runner-up Confederate, who is the 5-2 morning-line favorite, as well as Stockade Seelster at 3-1 and Christchurch at 7-2.

Yannick Gingras will drive Gung Ho, who is 10-1, from post four.

The top-five finishers from each elimination advance to the Meadowlands Pace final on July 15 at the Big M.

“I’m really happy with him,” said Burke, who trains Gung Ho for owners Burke Racing Stable, M1 Stable, Elizabeth Jones, and Beasty LLC. “I’m sure he will be better if he makes the final, but he’ll be good enough, I’m hoping, to make the final and give us one more week. I trained him pretty good, so I’m guessing he’ll be tight enough.

“He seems very fast and has a perfect mouth. Really, he trained like a perfect horse. I couldn’t have asked for anything better with him.”

New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Voukefalas is the 2-1 favorite in the first Meadowlands Pace elimination, followed by NA Cup third-place finisher Fulton at 5-2. Cannibal, who is unbeaten in three races this season, is 3-1.

In addition to the Pace eliminations, the Meadowlands hosts Graduate Series finals for 4-year-old trotters and pacers. Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EDT). Free TrackMaster past performances for the Big M can be found here.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA