Burke & Page take 2021 Kaltenbach Honors

Harness racing trainer Ron Burke and driver Chris Page have captured the 2021 Kaltenbach titles for the third consecutive season.

The Jerry Kaltenbach Memorial Trophies were established in 1988 and are awarded annually to the driver and trainer who have earned the most dollars competing in Ohio Sires Stakes (OSS) events in a single season.

Trainer Ron Burke captured his fourth Kaltenbach training title in 2021, sending 142 youngsters postward in the 2021 OSS legs, Championships, and consolations. His total money earnings from these OSS events were $1,734,200, surpassing his 2020 totals of $1,392,500 in OSS earnings.

Burke had captured the 2014 Kaltenbach crown with $428,750 in OSS earnings and was runner-up in 2018, before winning the 2019 title. This year his impressive assortment of 2- and 3-year-old pacers and trotters scored 24 wins, 29 seconds and 21 third place finishes in OSS competition.

Finishing in the runner-up spot was conditioner Chris Beaver for the second straight season, with $1,215,250 in OSS earnings with a 23-7-8 record from 76 starts, while trainer Christi Noble had a 8-3-5 record in 35 starts, amassing $481,800 in OSS earnings.

A total of 132 trainers participated in the 2021 OSS events, with seven earning between $100,000 and $500,000, with only the top two conditioning the winners of one million dollars or more. A full 54 trained the winners of $10,000 to $100,000, while 34 trainers saw their charges earn between $2,000 and $9,999.

Driver Chris Page captured the 2021 Kaltenbach title for the sixth time in eight years and for the third straight season. Page piloted 95 starters who scored 20 wins, 21 seconds and 13 thirds to $1,252,900 in earnings. Last year he had a 18-17-7 record from 91 starts and $1,179,300 in earnings.

Brett Miller was second in command for the third straight season, with 14 wins, nine seconds and seven thirds ($1,027,4500), while Aaron Merriman garnered a 18-8-6 record and $895,400 in earnings from 72 OSS starts.

Of the 51 drivers who participated in the 2021 OSS events, 40 garnered at least one purse check; 14 notched earnings of $100,000 or more; nine earned $200,000 or more; and five earned $700,000 or better. There were 14 drivers whose OSS purse checks totaled between $10,000 and $100,000, while 23 amassed $9,999 or less.

In the 31 years the Kaltenbachs have been awarded, David Miller leads all drivers with seven trophies. In the training ranks, Virgil Morgan, Jr., has captured the title six times. Only two horsemen have won the Kaltenbachs in both the training and driving categories-Sam “Chip” Noble, III and Dave Rankin.

by Kimberly Rinker, for the Ohio Standardbred Development Fund