Meadowlands: Gingras joins 8,000 career win club

Yannick Gingras is being inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame this July, and he got his 2022 highlight reel off to a good start by winning his 8,000th career race after guiding Bettors Donttell to victory lane in the sixth race on Saturday night at the Meadowlands. It was fitting the score came for trainer Ron Burke, with whom Gingras has teamed up with to win countless races during his stellar career.

Gingras has made the most of his wins, as he is one of only six drivers in history to amass $200 million in earnings. The other five in that exclusive club all have at least 1,500 more victories than "The Green Hornet."

In other action, after winning the Preferred a week ago at odds of 3-1 after driver Andy Miller was able to rate the second fraction in 29 4/5 after leaving from post three, it seemed to be too tall an order to repeat that wire-to-wire performance from post nine at odds of 6-1 in the weekly $31,500 trotting feature.

But Get Legs didn't get the memo.

Miller made the top with the 5-year-old son of Muscle Hill-Legzy in 27 1/5 and never looked back during a dominant 1:52 4/5 score to stay perfect in two 2022 starts.

"I wasn't intent on going to the front," said Miller. "I was just going to float out of there, but he got out of there on a good foot, and I let him trot to the front."

That proved to be a winning decision, as after the half was reached in 56 seconds, Get Legs had more than enough trot to repel a weak challenge from 6-5 favorite Chin Chin Hall as they reached three-quarters in 1:24 2/5.

Get Legs had no trouble from there, keeping pocket-sitter Dunbar Hall at bay through the stretch to record a 1 3/4 length score. JL Cruze was third. Chin Chin Hall finished seventh on a night when he did not have it.

In winning for the 14th time from only 29 lifetime starts for trainer Julie Miller, Get Legs returned $15.00 as the fourth choice in the wagering exactly one week after paying $8.40 against the same kind of stock.

Andy has big expectations for his trotter.

"I won't race him all that much over the next few months. We are going to try and keep him strong for stakes season," he stated.

BACKSTREET SETS PACE: In the $31,500 Preferred for pacers, Backstreet Shadow, who rallied well to get second a week ago in the same class, was put on the point by driver George Brennan and led at every call as the 2-1 favorite on the way to a safe neck victory over My Pal Joe in 1:50 2/5, a fantastic time given the cold conditions that had the real feel at two degrees over a track that was listed with a variant of minus two.

"Last week he was coming off a layoff," said Brennan of 'Backstreet,' whose explosive opening quarter of 26 4/5 was the key to victory. "We just wanted to run him up the inside. Tonight, the game plan was to go forward."

The 7-year-old gelded son of Shadow Play-Backstreet Sweetie, a Burke trainee, lifted his lifetime stats to 29 wins from 79 starts, good for a bankroll of $1,117,760. He returned $6.00 to win. Let It Ride N finished third in his bid to win a second straight pacing feature after going off as the slight 2-1 second choice.

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THARPS TAKES MLK: Sitting off a speed duel between Captain Hill and Casino Bags Anso, Sonic Flare and driver Eric Tharps Jr. closed well after swinging three-wide for the stretch drive to take the Martin Luther King Remembrance Race, completing a weekend where the civil rights icon - who would have turned 93 Saturday night - was honored. The race featured African-American drivers.

Sonic Flare returned $6.20 to win as the favorite despite drawing post 10 in the second race.

"It means a lot to win this race," said Tharps. "Anybody who races horses wants to win at the Meadowlands. I saw those two got into a duel, so I just sat there before making my move."

One of Dr. King's messages was to be inclusive of people of all races, and two races later, in the Pro-MLK Remembrance Race where Meadowlands regular drivers took on African-American drivers, pilot Mark MacDonald, representing the Big M regulars, scored from off-the-pace with 7-5 public choice Dirt E Rock.

Jamaal Denson, representing the African-American drivers, was excited to finish third with 17-1 chance Missile Seelster and is already looking forward to participating in the MLK in the future.

"It means a lot to come up here from Mississippi and race at the Meadowlands," said Denson. "I had a great time. As long as they tell me I can come back, I will be back."

A LITTLE MORE: Yonkers regular Jason Bartlett proved he can do it on the mile track as well, leading the driver colony with four winners. It was a big night for Burke, training four to victory lane. Gingras's driving triple gave him 14 winners over the last four race cards. All-source handle totaled $2,514,410. Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m.

--press release (Meadowlands)--