For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Gingras rolls a 7 at Big M

by Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Driver Yannick Gingras had the hot hand at the Meadowlands Friday night, winning seven times on the 13-race program, including the $25,000 featured open handicap with the top trotter in training, Hannelore Hanover.

Taking full advantage of being first call for two of the top stables in the game, Gingras won four races for Jimmy Takter and three for Ron Burke.

Gingras kept the Burke-trained Hannelore Hanover ($3.20 to win) last in the field of six until picking up live cover at the five-eighths. JL Cruze, who had led from the start, was still going well in the stretch but was bearing out some as Hannelore Hanover charged up on the outside to score by a half-length in 1:51.1, equaling the Big M’s track record for 4-year-old trotting mares.

IT’S TAKTER’S WORLD: Trainer Jimmy Takter once again dominated the 2-year-old trotting stakes events at the Meadowlands, winning both of the Peter Haughton Memorial Eliminations for colts and geldings and one of two Jim Doherty Eliminations for fillies.
Takter actually found a way to win three times in the Haughton, scoring twice in the opening elimination as his King On The Hill (Tim Tetrick, $5.20) got up on the wire to dead heat with stablemate Rubio (Gingras, $2.10) in 1:54.2 before Victor Gio It (Gingras, $6.20) took the other elim in 1:54.4.

Ariana G (Gingras, $2.10 to win) remained unbeaten in three starts for Takter with an easy win in the first of two Doherty dashes in 1:54.1. Trainer Trond Smedshammer’s Chezatter (David Miller, $9.00) prevented a Takter sweep by taking the other Doherty elim in 1:54.3.

AND THE REST: Gingras’ other winners came with Sassa Hanover (Burke, $4.00), Classical Annie (Burke, $3.60) and Reigning Moni (Takter, $2.80). … All-source wagering on the program totaled $2,498,407. … Racing resumes at the Big M Saturday at 7:15 p.m. with two Hambletonian Oaks Eliminations sitting atop the marquee.