East Rutherford, NJ — It’s not very often a Hall of Fame driver says he messed up, but that was the case in the Friday (December 8) night $17,500 high-end conditioned pacing feature at The Meadowlands, where Yannick Gingras guided Flirtin JK to a nerve-racking victory for those who bet the duo down to 1-9.

Flirtin JK and driver Yannick Gingras take the Friday night feature at The Meadowlands. Lisa Photo.

“I screwed up,” said Gingras, who sits in the top spot in the driver standings at The Big M. “It wasn’t a very good drive and we still won, so I’ll take it.”

Gingras was being a tad hard on himself, given the way things panned out.

It looked like just another day at the office for a heavy Gingras-trainer Ron Burke favorite, as Flirtin JK was away alertly from post six in the seven-horse field and led at the quarter in an anything-but-blazing :27.4.

Johnathan Ahle then opted to vacate the pocket and take the lead with 13-1 third choice Barrier, so Flirtin JK raced in the pocket. But as Barrier backed down the half to :57, Erinwood Yves (Corey Callahan) got anxious in the three-hole and rolled to the top at the five-eighths and led at three-quarters in 1:24.

Sitting a three-hole at the top of the stretch at a nickel-on-the-dollar is no way to make friends, but Gingras found a way to stay in the chalk players’ good graces.

“Once we got to the top of the stretch, in a short field, you’re probably not going to get locked in,” said Gingras, who found more than ample real estate along the inside with less than an eighth-of-a-mile to go to sprint clear of his foes by 2 lengths at the finish in 1:50.3. Barrier finished second with Southwind Sambucca (Vincent Ginsburg) third.

“Once we got room,” said Gingras. “He paced right through there.”

“I liked him the first time I raced him,” said the pilot known as “The Green Hornet”. “He’s got some sore feet but he’s been racing really well and we got lucky tonight.”

Flirtin JK, a 3-year-old gelded son of Jk Endofanera-Mcflirty, returned $2.10 to win while scoring for the fifth time from 32 career starts. He lifted his lifetime earnings to just over $117,000 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Gingras.

A LITTLE MORE: Gingras led the driver colony with three winners, running his 2023-Big M leading total to 119. … Burke trained three to victory lane, and tops the trainers with 106 victories. … For a fourth straight time, the 20-cent Pick-8 failed to yield a winning ticket, creating a carryover of $22,581 when racing resumes. Those with seven correct collected $158.04. The Pick-8 begins in race four Saturday night. … Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com. … All-source handle on the 14-race program totaled $2,877,367. … Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m.