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.
