DELAWARE — Loua Dipa took the Jugette field for a ride Wednesday, levitating to victory in both races a little more than two months after undergoing throat surgery.
Trained by Ron Burke and driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr., Loua Dipa led throughout the $240,000 final at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. The three-year-old filly finished 1¼ lengths ahead of Darlin’s Angel in 1:53.0. I’m A Lou Lou, also trained by Burke, was third.
Loua Dipa had already won the $25,000 first heat in 1:53.3, holding off I’m A Lou Lou by half a length. That victory gave her the inside starting position for the final.
Wednesday’s opening heat was Loua Dipa’s first win since undergoing throat surgery this summer.
Burke told U.S. Trotting News he had heard Loua Dipa making a noise while she raced earlier this year. Although she was still winning, he said, her condition eventually led the team to choose surgery.
“For her to come back from the surgery barely over two months ago and to be back in the winner’s circle in a Grade 1 event, we’re very happy,” Burke said.
Wrenn said he trusted Loua Dipa heading into the final. Her team changed her bridle between the two heats, and he drove her more aggressively in the second race.
“I have total trust in her. She’s a great horse,” Wrenn said. “She’s proved time and time again that she’s a good horse for a reason.”
In fact, he believes she may still have more to give.
“She recovered within 40 days, which is pretty incredible,” Wrenn said. “I don’t even think she’s 100% yet, she’s just trending back up and she proved today just how great she is.”
Wednesday’s finish was Wrenn’s first Jugette victory, according to U.S. Trotting News. He won his first Little Brown Jug last year with Burke-trained Louprint.
Meanwhile, the victory was Burke’s record sixth as a Jugette trainer and his second in a row, following Rodeo Drive Deo’s win last year.
Burke noted the win carried a family connection for him, too: Loua Dipa’s mother was one of his favorite horses.
“She’s the best filly I’ve ever trained, and that says a lot,” Burke said.
Loua Dipa is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Photos by Taylor Henninger.
