Yonkers: Gingras picks up win 7,000 on Monday

Yannick Gingras was so giddy Yonkers Raceway began its 2019 season Monday night (Jan. 7), he popped in and reached a driving milestone.

Career win No.7,000.

It took until the finale and odds-on fave Prologue ($2.90) lasting on the lead to get Monsieur Gingras to the Promised Land, doing so by a diminishing nose in 1:53 2/5.

Gingras, who began the dozen-race dossier needing three wins to reach the plateau, made short work of the $7.50 early daily double, escorting romping public choices Roll with Jeff ($4.80) in the $13,000 first-race pace (1:56 1/5) and ABC Muscles Boy ($2.80) in the $10,000 second-race trot (1:58).

He then forced the rank and file to wait around until last call before receiving his gold star.

“I’m not a numbers guys in that regard. I had no idea that the (7,000) number was upcoming until right before Christmas when someone mentioned it to me,” said Gingras.

The 39-year-old Gingras, a native of Greenfield Center, PQ, has career earnings in excess of $169 million and more big-money wins than can be listed here without writing this in missive in installments.

“To have it happen it here (Yonkers) where it all started for me coming down from Canada makes it special,” Gingras said.

Gingras counts his win with Foiled Again in the 2009 final of the George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series here as one of his personal highlights.

“I don’t know what else to say about him. He would get ready to begin his year in the Levy every season . . . just made for the half-mile (oval).

“In the last few years, I’ve been concentrating more on the stakes races,” Gingras said. “I had less drives (1,705) and had less wins (330) in 2018 than in about 15 years. This season, I’m committing to overnight racing, Yonkers Mondays and Thursdays, Meadowlands Fridays and Saturdays.

“Winning never gets tiresome. As Cat Manzi said to me, ‘You’re only one win away from happiness.’"