by Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations

East Rutherford, NJ — Driver Yannick Gingras had the hot hand at the Meadowlands Friday (July 29) night, winning seven times on the 13-race program, including the $25,000 featured Open Handicap with the top trotter in training, Hannelore Hanover.

Lisa photo

Hannelore Hanover isup in time to take the $25,000 Open Handicap Trot at the Meadowlands Fridaynight. For driver Yannick Gingras, it was one of seven winners on the card.

Taking full advantage of being first call for two of the top stables in the game, Gingras won four races for Jimmy Takter and three for Ron Burke.

Gingras kept the Burke-trained Hannelore Hanover ($3.20 to win) last in the field of six until picking up live cover at the five-eighths. JL Cruze, who had led from the start, was still going well in the stretch but was bearing out some as Hannelore Hanover charged up on the outside to score by a half-length in 1:51.1, equaling the Big M’s track record for 4-year-old trotting mares.

IT’S TAKTER’S WORLD: Trainer Jimmy Takter once again dominated the 2-year-old trotting stakes events at the Meadowlands, winning both of the Peter Haughton Memorial eliminations for colts and geldings and one of two Jim Doherty Eliminations for fillies.

Takter actually found a way to win three times in the Haughton, scoring twice in the opening elimination as his King On The Hill (Tim Tetrick, $5.20) who is by Muscle Hill and out of Lantern Kronos, got up on the wire to dead heat with stablemate Rubio, a son of Cantab Hall-Italienne Girl, (Gingras, $2.10) in 1:54.2 before Victor Gio It (Gingras, $6.20) took the other elim in 1:54.4.

Ariana G (Gingras, $2.10 to win), a daughter of Muscle Hill-Cantab It All, remained unbeaten in three starts for Takter with an easy win in the first of two Doherty dashes in 1:54.1. Trainer Trond Smedshammer’s Chezatte (David Miller, $9.00) a daughter of Explosive Matter-Chez Lucie, prevented a Takter sweep by taking the other Doherty elim in 1:54.3.

AND THE REST: Gingras’ other winners came with Sassa Hanover (Burke, $4.00), Classical Annie (Burke, $3.60) and Reigning Moni (Takter, $2.80.)

All-source wagering on the program totaled $2,498,407.

Racing resumes at the Big M Saturday (July 30) at 7:15 p.m. with two Hambletonian Oaks eliminations sitting atop the marquee.