By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Yannick Gingras
came from “off the pace” to best Dexter Dunn in the hotly contested battle for
top driver at the Meadowlands meeting that came down to Saturday’s Hambletonian
Day card.
By winning three races Friday and
four more Saturday, Gingras overcame Dunn’s 82-79 lead in the standings
entering the final weekend of racing. After Dunn won the final race of the meet
– with 19-1 shot Starvin Marvin – he stood one behind Gingras, who won the
title by a count of 86 to 85. Gingras and Dunn also finished 1-2 in money
earnings.
Ron Burke, the winner of 12
consecutive national trainer titles, topped the Big M trainer colony in wins
with 50. Nancy Takter was the leading money-earning trainer. She had just over
$1 million in earnings heading into Hambo Day.
Leading owners at the meeting were
Pollack Racing LLC and Jeffrey Cullipher.
HANDLE HIGHLIGHTS: All-source North American wagering on
the 16-race Hambo Day card totaled $5,730,615, by far the highest total in the
industry in 2020. It marked the second time during the 41-program meeting where
wagering topped the $5-million plateau.
On 33 occasions, wagering went past
the $2.5-million mark, while the $3-million barrier was busted 10 times.
Wagering on the Hambletonian was red
hot, as a total of $845,469 was pushed through the windows on the 11th
race Saturday, an increase of $322,305 over last year (61 percent).
Wagering totals from international
outlets will not be known for several days.
A LITTLE MORE: Andy McCarthy not only won his first Hambletonian, but was the top driver on Hambo Day, winning five times. … Tony Alagna trained three to victory lane, all were driven by McCarthy. … Live racing at The Meadowlands resumes on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:15 p.m., and with the exception of Christmas Day, will be conducted on the normal Friday-Saturday schedule through the end of the year.
