Gingras sweeps co-feature $36,000 Opens

Yonkers Raceway held two $36,000 harness racing Open events Thursday (July 6), one was an Open Handicap Trot, the other a 3-5-year-old Open Pace and they both were won by driver Yannick Gingras.

First was the Open Handicap Trot in the 2nd race where race favorite Hillexotic (Muscle Hill) and driver Yannick Gingras were able to take the early lead away from Stormy Kromer (Jason Bartlett) by the opening quarter mile in :27.3 and then wire the field.

Hillexotic led to the half mile in :56.3 and through the backstretch as On Higher Ground (Joe Bongiorno) came first-over but could not get close by the three-quarters in 1:24.3.

By the top of the stretch, Hillexotic held the field at bay and did so through the stretch to win by one and three-quarter lengths in 1:53.1. On Higher Ground was second with Stormy Kromer third.

HILLEXOTIC REPLAY

It was the second straight win and sixth victory of the year for Hillexotic. The six-year-old gelding is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phillip Collura. He paid $2.80 to win.

In the 9th race Open Pace, it was again Yannick Gingras able to wire the field, this time with Pleaseletmeknow (American Ideal) who left from post five and cut fractions of :26.4 and :55.2 to the half mile.

Then the action began to heat up with race favorite South Beach Star (Daniel Dube) coming first-over in the backstretch with Greg The Leg (Brent Holland) second-over to the three-quarters in 1:23.1.

On the final turn Gingras gave Pleaseletmeknow his head and the four-year-old gelding was up by two and one-half lengths on the field at the top of stretch. He then held the lead to the wire, winning by two lengths in 1:51.2. The pocket-sitting Certifiable (Jason Bartlett) was second with South Beach Star third.

PLEASELETMEKNOW REPLAY

Sent off at odds of 3-1, Pleaseletmeknow paid $8.50 to win. It was his second win this year for trainer Travis Alexander and the Fiddler’s Creek Stable LLC, who own and bred Pleaseletmeknow.

For complete race results, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink