‘Vicious’ Louprint back in form after layoff

Dan Patch Award-winning male pacer Louprint (Sweet Lou), who was unbeaten in five races this year before being sidelined in early July, returned to the racetrack Tuesday (Aug. 12) with a 1:52.2 qualifier win by 10-3/4 lengths at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. Regular harness racing driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. was in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke.

“He was vicious,” Burke said after the qualifier, which Louprint capped with a :26.2 last quarter as part of a :54.3 back half. “I couldn’t have been happier.

“I could tell the middle of last week that he was himself again. His weight is back to where it was, his energy level is back. He’s back. If he wasn’t, he would never have qualified. I wasn’t going to force him to do anything he isn’t ready to do.

“He was really good.”

Burke plans to give Louprint one more tune-up ahead of the final leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 3-year-old male pacers on Aug. 30 at The Meadows. The PASS championship also is at The Meadows, on Sept. 6.

The next Grand Circuit event on Louprint’s schedule is the Grade 1 Little Brown Jug, which will be held Sept. 18 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in central Ohio.

“Right now, we’re leaning toward officially working him out next Tuesday during the card at The Meadows,” Burke said. “Then it will be sire stakes, sire stakes, and then the Jug. With how his year shook out, the biggest thing is to have him ready for the Jug. I think he’s ready today. He (qualified) so easily.”

Louprint has hit the board in all 15 career races, winning 12 and earning $1.18 million. He was the Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old male pacer in 2024.

His victories this year include the Grade 1 Pepsi North America Cup, which was his most recent start on June 14, before seeing his campaign halted because of surgery to remove a testicle on July 7. His top triumph last season came in the Grade 1 Breeders Crown.

A son of Sweet Lou-Rockin Racer, Louprint is owned by breeders Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, and Phil Collura, as well as Larry Karr.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Ken Weingartner, for USTA