by The Meadowlands Media Relations Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Saturday’s (June 10) Meadowlands 2-year-old races began at 10 a.m. on a cloudy morning with slight stretch headwinds and temperatures in the low 70’s. In Saturday’s trotting races it was the Yannick Gingras show as the top Grand Circuit driver swept all six contests, hooking up with trainer Jimmy Takter on five of those victories.

Chris Tully photo

Go To Hill wins on the front end in 1:59.1 to capture his event at The Meadowlands on Saturday morning.

Trotting fillies opened the day with a nice looking Chapter Seven-Muscelini filly named Sevenbuyeleven winning gate-to-wire in 1:58 with a :28 final quarter for Gingras. Linda Toscano trains the $50,000 Standardbred Horse Sale at Harrisburg purchase for owner Ken Jacobs. Natalie Hanover, who is the offspring of Chapter Seven-Nanticoke Hanover (Ake Svanstedt) was second and Dab Hanover ( Jimmy Takter / Mattias Melander), a daughter of Donato Hanover-Dixieland Delight, third.

Gingras came right back to win race two for Takter with Bella Glos, a Cantab Hall-Global Desire filly that cost Black Horse Racing $95,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale at Harrisburg last fall. She led at every call and finished well in hand through a :28 flat end to her 1:57.2 mile. A pair of fillies from the Svanstedt barn followed, Vivacious Allie, a daughter of Muscle Hill-KD Girl, (Svanstedt) second and Lucky Ava, who is by Lucky Chucky and out of Ava Marion, was third.

Gingras’ reign with the fairer sex continued in race three with another Takter trainee. Air Quote Hanover cut the 1:57.4 mile, sprinting home in :27.4 under her own power. This one is a daughter of Donato Hanover-Aurora Hall and was a $70,000 Standardbred Horse Sale at Harrisburg purchase for Order By Stables last fall. Svanstedt was again second best, this time with What A Knockout (Donato Hanover-Southwind Sofia). His charge Fury Road (Muscle Mass-Bar Ballad), steered by Sarah Svanstedt, was third.

The $350,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase by Lennart Agrin’s SRF Stable, Go To Hill, was an impressive winner for the Gingras/Takter combo with a front-end 1:59.1 win, with a final quarter in :29 seconds. The Muscle Hill-Habit Of Creature colt opened a considerable lead mid-stretch then coasted in on his own. Spee Club (Cantab Hall-Almond Joy) closed up nicely as Svanstedt’s futile pursuit of Takter ran to three in a row. Culper (Cr Sister Suzie), who was driven and is trained by Marcus Melander, was third.

Hill Street continued the mastery for Takter and Gingras with a 2:00.4 win. Gingras evidenced why he is in such demand with the youngsters as the agressive son of Muscle Hill-Think Twice wanted to go forward right from the start. Gingras had other ideas and wrangled him into fourth early through the slow :31.2 first quarter. Things did not speed up much down the backside, despite Svanstedt moving his $200,000 colt Sonofamillionaire (Donato Hanover-Mom’s Millionaire) to the top in 1:02.2. Gingras then edged his charge out of fourth to settle in second behind that one.

That was the order through the 1:32.3 six panels until Gingras fanned him off the leader’s back and Hill Street trotted on by through a :28.1 last quarter to get the win. Ray Schnittker closed up nicely with his Chasin’ Dreams (Credit Winner-Bold Dreamer) to lose in a photo while Svanstedt had to settle for third this time. The partnership of Brixton Medical, Fielding, Liverman and Hatfield own the $180,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale buy.

The final piece of the trotting baby sweep for Gingras was with Takter’s Andover Hall-Athena Miss colt Storming Mist. The $120,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase sat a comfortable pocket behind Fourth Dimension (Chapter Seven-Corazon Blue Chip), driven and trained by Marcus Melander, through easy fractions and went by willingly through a :28.1 end to the 1:59.3 mile to hold off the closing Six Pack Muscle Mass-Pleasing Lady. That filly was piloted and is conditioned by Svanstedt. Brixton Medical, Fielding, Liverman and RAW Equine share ownership of Storming Mist.

There were only two races for pacers with the fillies first and Hurrikane Shorty was the winner in 1:56.3 for Jimmy Marohn Jr. The pair had the early lead, then released eventual second place finisher Dance Blue, (Rock N Roll Heaven-Tessa Hanover) guided by Gingras, through the middle fractions before brushing by in the stretch through a :27.2 final quarter. John McDermott Jr. trains the $8,000 Goshen Sale Art Major-Speed Date filly for Jonathan Klee, Pegasis Investments and GR Vierno. KJ’s Bekah (American Ideal-Upfrontandpersonal) was third for Scott Zeron and Toscano.

JK Musicman took the colt pace from just off the pace in 1:56 with a :27.1. Damion Diesel Hahn, a son of So Surreal-My Girl’s A Star (Schnittker) cut the fractions and held up until mid-stretch then gave way first to the winner , then Major Sugar Rush (Art Major-Sugarcoated) snuck by very late for the place. JK Musicman is a homebred American Ideal-JK Sound Of Music colt trained by Nancy Johansson for the 3 Brothers Stables.

Today’s a big day at The Meadowlands with the Belmont Stakes up and both BeerFest and the hotly anticipated Hamburger Cook-Off both on the bill tonight. Post time is 7:15 p.m.