Harness: Gingras with horsepower at Hoosier, Meadowlands this weekend

Driver Yannick Gingras had the honor of capturing the final Breeders Crown races this past Friday and Saturday nights (October 27-28) with the sensational 2-year-old Karl first and then Bythemissal on Saturday night. Gingras hopes to continue his winning form this weekend but will need to do some traveling in between with stakes action at Harrah's Hoosier Park on Friday night followed by the Kindergarten Series finals for juveniles on Saturday at the Meadowlands.

Fortunately for the popular driver he'll be sitting in a good spot behind most of the contenders on Friday night where sophomores will be in action for both gaits and sexes in stakes action. Strong Poison (post two) hopes to regain her winning form following a fifth-place finish in the Breeders Crown.

"We got caught up in a fast early pace, but I'm not so sure she was at her best last week," said Gingras of Strong Poison, a daughter of Always B Miki that faces six others in the $105,000 USS Indianapolis Memorial (race seven) on Friday. "It's a drop in class for her with the top two fillies missing."

Strong Poison will still need to be at the top of her game with some of Indiana's finest sophomore pacing fillies in the lineup as Super Final runner-up Rollin Rosie (post three) figures to be a main player. Trainer Ron Burke will have three in the race, with Strong Poison, McSeaside and the supplemented Southwind Bella contenders.

Gingras chose Rose Run Yolanda as his mount in the $115,000 The Crossroads Of America (race nine) for sophomore trotting fillies.

"I probably shouldn't have slowed the pace down as much as I did with her last week," said Gingras of the Breeders Crown. "She's a big horse and it was tough to get going again."

Rose Run Yolanda drew post eight in the field that includes Kentucky Filly Futurity champion Mommamia Volo (post one) and the red-hot Tactical Mounds (post three). "There are some nice fillies in the field, and we drew outside," Gingras said.

Ervin Hanover will look to be an upsetter in the $190,000 Monument Circle (race 10) for sophomore colt and gelding pacers. The Ron Burke-trained son of Captaintreacherous failed to qualify for the Breeders Crown but did win a race on the same program, scoring in 1:49 in the Pegasus.

"I thought he was very good last week," said Gingras of Ervin Hanover. "He hasn't been as good this year as he was last year, but I think he's coming into the race sharp."

Ervin Hanover drew post five in the field of 10 that includes Stockade Seelster (post three). "Stockade Seelster is definitely the one to beat. He was huge last week [second to Confederate] and the week before too," said Gingras of the competition.

Gingras had high hopes this year for Celebrity Bambino, and though the son of Muscle Hill has earned $554K, he hasn't come up big in the big races, going down as the favorite in the Hambletonian and then missing the top-five in last week's Breeders Crown.

"We were in great position second-over. He wasn't good and he bled, so he'll be on Lasix this week," said Gingras.

Celebrity Bambino looked to be coming into the Crown final in brilliant form. "We got stuck inside in the Futurity [Red Mile, October 8] and he had a ton of trot finishing," said Gingras.

Celebrity Bambino drew post one in the $205,000 Carl Erskine (race 11) and gets another chance to prove himself against Hambletonian and Breeders Crown winner Tactical Approach (post eight), as well as Kentucky Futurity runner-up French Wine (post five).

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On Saturday night Gingras has drives in all four Kindergarten finals on the menu at the Meadowlands. He'll guide Honey's Sweet (post one) in the $241,300 Kindergarten final for juvenile trotting fillies (race five).

"I really liked her a lot when I baby raced her at The Red Mile," said Gingras.

Honey's Sweet, a daughter of Chapter Seven, raced in the Grand Circuit two weeks at The Red Mile with limited success but has since turned it around with consecutive Kindergarten scores at the Meadowlands. "Maybe it was just too much to ask her against more seasoned horses," said Gingras of the Red Mile races. "She's been much better back in New Jersey."

Off his sensational score in the Breeders Crown, Karl (post 10) looks for his eighth win in nine career starts in the $267,500 Kindergarten final for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters (race seven).

"He's a super horse," said Gingras. "He's got plenty of gears and he can go fast for a long time."

While the post could be problematic, none of the nine rivals in the Kindergarten field have shown the talent to stick with this son of Tactical Landing trained and co-owned by Nancy Takter.

"I'm glad he was able to get into this race," said Gingras, who realizes that Karl was near the bottom of the eligible list.

Ervin Hanover's full sister Caviart Belle is another Takter-trained juvenile with a big chance in the Kindergarten.

"She was racing great up until the She's A Great Lady," said Gingras. "She seems to have plateaued."

Still, Gingras chose her over two others in the $205,900 field (race nine). "She showed pace finishing in the Breeders Crown," Gingras noted.

Saturday's Kindergarten field lacks any of the top talent from the Crown.

Unlike his full brother Tall Dark Stranger, Total Stranger has lacked the killer instinct all year for trainer Nancy Takter while at the same time showing enough talent to qualify for the $179,200 Kindergarten final (race 11).

"In the Breeders Crown elimination [October 20] he was following cover and felt good entering the stretch but just didn't finish it off late," said Gingras. "I'm going to have to change it up with him and get a bit more aggressive."

Total Stranger landed post nine in a well-matched group with leg winners Lou Vuitton (post two) and Courtship (post five) drawing to his inside.

The action starts at 6:15 P.M. (EDT) at Harrah's Hoosier Park on Friday and 6:20 P.M. on Saturday at the Meadowlands.