Loua Dipa to face the boys in Adios

The Burke Brigade’s decision is a huge coup for the 60^th edition of the Grade 1 race at Ther Meadows.

by Debbie Little

After a thrilling conquest of arch-rival Be Perfect BG in the Grade 3 Jerry Silverman Memorial on Saturday at The Meadowlands, Loua Dipa’s sights are now set on bigger game.

The 2025 Dan Patch 2-Year-Old Female Pacer of the Year is now looking to take on her sophomore male counterparts in the 60^th edition of the Grade 1 Adios at The Meadows with eliminations, if necessary, on July 18, and the $350,000 (est.) final on July 25. The box closes today (July 15) at 9 a.m.

“It’s something we’ve kicked around honestly since the end of her 2-year-old year,” said co-owner/co-breeder Mark Weaver of Burke Racing Stable LLC / Weaver Bruscemi LLC. “Even previously with Warrawee Ubeaut, we had always thought with a top filly to maybe take a chance.”

Loua Dipa will go into this weekend’s Adios elims off a lifetime-best-equaling 1:48 at The Meadowlands in the Silverman. She established her mark in 2025 when she became the fastest 2-year-old filly pacer in the history of the sport.

“This year, it just seems like her miles stack up well… I don’t see a Louprint this year [among the boys],” Weaver said. “So, having had years to think about it with other fillies and just the way she’s coming along and this season’s going, we thought it was worth a shot.”

Weaver is partners on the homebred daughter of Sweet Lou—Looksgoodinaromper with Sylvia Burke and Mike Bruscemi. Loua Dipa is trained by Ron Burke and driven by Ronnie Wrenn, Jr.

The Burke Brigade will be sending a total of five to the Adios, as Loua Dipa will join her male stablemates Al Papi and Melillo, who finished second and fourth, respectively, in the $810,000 Grade 1 Meadowlands Pace on Saturday (July 11), as well as Another C Note, who is eight-for-nine this season, and Frantic Hanover, a star at 2 who has yet to win in five starts this season.

“I don’t know who’s coming, I have no idea,” Weaver said. “I would assume there are going to be eliminations, but I don’t know. I know there’s one local guy that’s putting one in. We have five. I would assume there’ll be probably six or eight other ones, but yeah, we’ll see. I was actually surprised Odds On Mr Mamba was going. I didn’t know that until I read it today.”

Weaver said one of the factors that played into their Adios decision was the discrepancy in money between the races for top sophomore males and females.

“It just kind of seemed like the right thing to do,” Weaver said. “There are very few races that the fillies can go into where it makes sense. Like the Breeders Crown wouldn’t make sense, because they go for the same amount of money. So why would you do it? Actually, I don’t even know if you can.

“But the two races where it kind of makes sense, where the sister races aren’t comparable from a purse standpoint, are the Adios [$350,000 (est.)] to the Adioo Volo [$115,000 (est.)] and then the Jug [$800,000 (est.)] and the Jugette [$200,000 (est.)]. So, those were the two that we kind of eyed up. It was kind of tough because it’s still early in the year and you hate to throw her to the wolves and potentially get her feelings hurt, because there are still a lot of lot of races, but she doesn’t have Kentucky Sire Stakes and we just threw everything into the pot and came up with let’s give it a shot.”

Loua Dipa has a record of 3-1-0 in five starts this year, having won the elim and final of the Grade 1 Fan Hanover ($302,400) back in June and the aforementioned Silverman. Her lone loss, by a head, came in her first start of the year in a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on May 1.

“She doesn’t owe us anything,” Weaver said. “The dam [Looksgoodinaromper] doesn’t owe us anything. Sweet Lou doesn’t owe us anything. It just seems like the next step to do. What do you have to lose? You know, let’s give it a shot. And we did it with Mission Brief in the Hambo 11 years ago [who finished second]. I mean, nothing against the Oaks, and nothing against the Adioo Volo, but especially the Adioo Volo, no one remembers who wins those around here, but people know who wins the Adios. So, it just made sense to give it a shot, and hopefully we don’t regret it.”