BY
FRANK DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Tuesday, January 30, 2018—“He
helped take me to the next level as a driver.”
Such were the words of Yannick Gingras,
who takes a seat behind Foiled Again as the sport’s richest-ever equine is
invading Yonkers Raceway in search of his 100th career victory.
Foiled Again returns to the Westchester
wars Thursday night (Feb. 1st), leaving from post position No. 5 in
the $20,000, eighth-race pace. The 14-year-old Dragon Again gelding makes the
306th purse start of his $7.5 million career.
“I can’t say enough about him,” Gingras
said. “There were seven or eight seasons, starting when he as a 4-year-old,
when he was among the best in the sport, which to me is amazing.
“He’s not the biggest or the fastest, but
I’ve never driven one that had his desire…and the way he wins, it’s usually a
rough trip. I don’t think he’s ever been second-over. He’d rather grind his way
into it and battle.
Not to mention he’s smarter than the
average bear.
“He never exerts himself until he has to,”
Gingras said. “If you’d allow it, he’d go a second quarter in 35 seconds, but
right around the five-eighths or three-quarters, when he hears or sees someone
coming, he picks up the bit and the switch goes on.”
Foiled Again won his 99th race
here in his mid-January, final-season debut, but his first crack at Century
City did not go well, as in a non-factor sixth. George Brennan was the driver
for both efforts.
“That’s another thing about him,” Gingras
said. “Some horses, if they race poorly, it seem to affect them for a month.
‘Foiled’…nothing seems to bother him.
“It would be fitting to do it here
(Yonkers). He’s won the (George Morton) Levy Series twice (2009-10) and he
always gets around the track well, probably because he rides the left line just
enough”.
“I can’t lie, I hope I’m the one who gets
him to 100,” Gingras said. “I told (co-owner/trainer) Ronnie (Burke) to try and
schedule him when I can drive him.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him
Thursday. He’s just been such a big part of the my career.”
