Meadowlands: Gingras wins seven races on Friday
One would think after winning seven times over the course of last weekend’s two race cards at the Meadowlands that driver Yannick Gingras would have a tough time coming up with an encore.
Think again.
The 39-year-old Gingras, who led the Big M driver colony in wins during January with 15, came within one win of history Friday night at the mile oval, winning seven times on the 13-race card, falling one victory short of the Big M single-card record of eight, which is shared by Mike Lachance and Brett Miller.
Gingras got some help from the sport’s top trainer, Ron Burke. The potent pair were at it again Friday, teaming up to win five times on the program after winning three on both Friday and Saturday one week ago.
Chief Justice gave the duo their first winner of the night in the opener, a non-winners of two trot, settling for a dead-heat with Alvisi Hanover, who hit the wire at the same time as the 4-5 favorite in 1:57 3/5.
Misslarose took the second race co-featured non-winners of $15,000 trot in 1:54 4/5 as the even-money public choice, winning a second straight on the front end, before back class-master Resita powered clear in the third race non-winners of $8,500 in 1:54 as the prohibitive 1-5 choice.
A week ago, several of the Burke-Gingras winners won despite being out of action for a month, but in the fifth race non-winners of $8,500 trot, they won with 4-5 favorite In Secret – who had been away for three months – in 1:53 1/5.
But they weren’t done quite yet.
Burke and Gingras got their ‘one for the thumb’ in the eighth race non-winners of $8,500 for filly and mare pacers with Toronto shipper – and first-time Burke trainee – Bettim Jackie, who scored after making the top down the backside in 1:53 4/5 as the 5-2 second choice.
Gingras’ sixth win came in the 11th race for non-winners of $3,500 on the trot. The Mark Ford-trained Sortie Hanover hit the wire first in 1:56 3/5 as the 4-1 third choice before Gingras completed his seven-bagger with 2-5 chalk Bizet in the 13th race for non-winners of three in 1:56.
A LITTLE MORE: A simulcast player in Las Vegas made a huge score in the 20-Cent Survivor Pick-10. As the only bettor to last eight legs, he or she walked away with $12,101.66. … The Jenn Bongiorno-trained Divas Image was super in taking the co-featured non-winners of $15,000 filly and mare pace on the front end in 1:52. She paced her back half in 54 4/5 to hold off the pocket-sitting Ideal Lifestyle A, who was making her North American debut for trainer Tahnee Camilleri. … Betting on the card was strong as $2,874,831 was pushed through the windows, the second-highest total in 2019. … Racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
-edited release (Meadowlands)