Gingras now 4th at Big M

With seven weeks left in the Meadowlands’ 2006 racing season, driver Yannick Gingras is having his best meet ever, and the 26 year old has now picked up Artstanding, a mount that could land him a spot in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace. Gingras will drive Artstanding in Saturday’s night $75,100 leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes, reuniting him with the horse he finished second with last year in both the Lou Babic Memorial elim and $160,000 final.

Artstanding most recently finished sixth in his North America Cup elim, failing to make the final. That effort came after the Tom Fanning-trained son of Artsplace finished second in the $500,000 New Jersey Classic.

“He hasn’t been at the top of his game, although he did race pretty good in the New Jersey Classic. I think he is a nice horse; I drove him a couple of times last year and he is a sweetheart to drive,” Gingras told harnessracing.com Wednesday morning, shortly after completing his drives in the baby races at the Meadowlands. “It is definitely a nice pick-up as I had nothing special in the 3-year-old division. It’s better than sitting up in the grandstand.”

Gingras, voted the 2003 Rising Star of the Year by members of the U.S. Harness Writers Association, currently sits fourth on both the dash list and money list at the Meadowlands with 116 wins and $2,234,482 in purse earnings. Both numbers already have surpassed those posted last year at the Big M by Gingras when he finished ninth on both lists with 91 wins and $2.1 million in earnings. His overall 2006 earnings of $2,667,847 through June 12 currently ranks him ninth in North America.

“I’m really, really happy,” said Gingras. “I started out the year thinking to myself that I could be in the top seven. I am winning a lot of overnights and now I pick up a 3-year-old colt and I also have a couple nice 3-year-old filly pacers.”

Gingras won once during the Wednesday morning baby races, that coming with the filly pacer Yankee Lacey in 2:00.3. A daughter of Bettor’s Delight out of the $250,000-winning mare Lovin Yankee, Yankee Lacey is a half sister to Up Front Charlie p,3, 1:50.1 ($314,888), Yankee Landa p, 1:50.3 ($207,155) and Yankee Leader p, 1:51.1f ($141,888). Bred by Yankeeland Farm, Yankee Lacey was a $47,000 yearling purchase by White Birch Farm and is trained by Jeff Stafford.

“She won it pretty easy; she’s well bred. Jeff said she trained down really good and she was good this morning,” said Gingras. “Hopefully she can keep it going.”

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