Yannick Gingras (born August 4, 1979) is a Canadian harness racing driver.[1] He is statistically one of the top drivers of all time with more than 8,000 wins and $230 million in earnings. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2022.[2]
Gingras has won 24 Breeders Crown trophies, the sixth-most in history. As of May 2024, he is fourth on the all-time career earnings list.[3] His six Hambletonian Oaks wins is a stakes record.
Career
editGingras drove in his native Canada until 2001 before moving to Yonkers Raceway in New York. He was immediately successful, winning that fall's driving title. In 2003, he won 426 races to earn the Dan Patch Rising Star Award.[4] He relocated to Meadowlands Racetrack in 2004, which he continues to maintain as his home base.
In 2014, Yannick Gingras was voted American harness racing's Dan Patch Driver of the Year Award,[5] and led all drivers in North America in purse money won in 2014 and 2015. In June 2016 he earned the 6,000th win of his career at Pocono Downs[6] and in August, the driver and trainer combination of Gingras and Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Takter set a record when they won the Hambletonian Oaks together for the third consecutive year.[7] Gingras was named Driver of the Year at the Dan Patch Awards for the second time in 2017.
From 2008 to 2016, Gingras was the main driver of Foiled Again, the highest-earning horse in harness racing history. He drove him in 192 of the horse's 331 lifetime starts, including wins in the Breeders Crown Open Pace, Canadian Pacing Derby, and TVG Free For All Pace.
Gingras was the regular driver of Atlanta, widely regarded as one of the greatest trotting mares ever, from 2019 to 2022. He drove her to her world record-setting time of 1:49 at The Red Mile in 2021 and to wins against male opponents in the Maple Leaf Trot and Graduate Series Final, among others.
In 2024, Gingras won the Hambletonian for the first time, driving favourite Karl to victory.
On August 16, 2024, Gingras won 10 of 14 races on the card at Harrah's Philadelphia, tying that track's record for driver wins in one race card.[8]
Personal life
editGingras was born in Greenfield Park, Quebec, grew up in Sorel, Quebec, and resides in Allentown, New Jersey. He is married to Vicki Gingras and has a son and two daughters.[2]
References
edit- ^ USTA profile for Yannick Gingras November 23, 2016
- ^ a b "Yannick Gingras". Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame.
- ^ "USTA Top Performers - U.S. Trotting". www.ustrotting.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ USHWA Dan Patch Awards Retrieved November 23, 2016
- ^ USHWA Award winners Retrieved October 5, 2016
- ^ Standardbred Canada June 27, 2016 article titled "Gingras Hits 6,000 Wins" Retrieved November 7, 2016
- ^ New Meadowlands Racetrack, LLC. August 6, 2016 article titled "Oaks Hat Trick for Takter and Gingras" Retrieved September 25, 2016
- ^ Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association August 17, 2024 article titled "Yannick Gingras Wins Ten Races, Equals Philly Record" Retrieved August 19, 2024
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