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Canadian Gingras driving horses in Pacing Derby, Maple Leaf Trot events

Aug 31, 2018 | 8:00 AM

Yannick Gingras is looking forward to Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park for two important reasons.

The driver from Sorel, Que., will have horses in the co-main events on the $1.7-million card. Gingras will lead heralded Lazarus into the $600,000 Canadian Pacing Derby, before trying to help Hannelore Hanover, North America’s top horse last year, defend her title in the $651,000 Maple Leaf Trot.

“They’re both great horses,” Gingras said. “Hannelore Hanover wasn’t quite herself last week (third in elimination race), actually her last couple of starts, but (trainer) Ron Burke seems to think she’s much better this week.

“We didn’t win the elimination, but I think she’ll be one of the favourites still. I definitely didn’t lose faith in her.”

All eyes will be on Gingras and the New Zealand-bred Lazarus in the Pacing Derby and with good reason. The brilliant six-year-old, trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Jimmy Takter, is the richest standardbred ever Down Under, having earned more than US$2.6 million after winning 35 of 45 starts.

Dubbed ‘The Wonder from Down Under,’ Lazarus was impressive in his American debut. An overwhelming 1/2 favourite, Lazarus captured the US$325,000 Dan Patch Stakes at Hoosier Park on Aug. 10 in 1:48.4 despite standing fourth after starting from the No. 9 spot.

Gingras took Lazarus to the lead after the quarter-mile mark. The horse covered the final quarter mile in 26 seconds to finish a length ahead of Split The House, with McWicked third.

Lazarus’s win was huge news. It was the lead story on one of New Zealand’s nightly television newscasts and Australian broadcaster Greg Hayes covered the Indiana race, which trended on social media across Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.

Sky Sports will air Saturday night’s races, including a special half-hour uninterrupted broadcast of the Canadian Pacing Derby, on Sky Racing 1. That’s unprecedented for a race not contested in the Southern Hemisphere.

Gingras acknowledges he and Lazarus will have targets on their back Saturday. But the veteran Canadian driver isn’t feeling any extra pressure heading into the race.

“Excited for sure, but no pressure,” he said. “Any time there’s a big race, you want to do well no matter who the horse is.

“I’d rather have the bull’s-eye on my back than have to chase the bull’s-eye. I love having the favourite and the horse to beat. Maybe some people would take it as pressure but I love it, I thrive on driving horses like that.”

It’s expected McWicked will be Lazarus’s biggest challenger. The seven-year-old — driven by American David Miller and trained by Casie Coleman of Cambridge, Ont., five times Canada’s top conditioner — starts from the No. 3 hole.

McWicked has won six of 10 starts this season and been in the winner’s circle 28 times over his career. The field will also include Split The House (No. 1 hole, American driver Brett Miller) and Sintra (No. 8 hole for driver Jody Jamieson of Moffat, Ont.). Split The House was last year’s Breeders Crown champion while Sintra claimed the ’17 Pacing Derby.

Gingras said the No. 2 position gives him many options in the race but that he’s going into the event with an open mind.

“Last time he raced in Indiana there were no options, we were going to have to pace forward out of the gate,” Gingras said. “This time, there are many different options available to me and I definitely like that better.

“I don’t have a plan, I go behind the gate and see what everybody else is doing. Of course, I have a trip in my head that would be ideal but most likely won’t happen. He’s a great horse and I don’t think he needs a certain type of trip.”

Gingras will be chasing a second Pacing Derby title. He won in 2012 with Foiled Again, one of Gingras’s  all-time favourite horses.

“Foiled Again has really been special to my career,” Gingras said. “It’s exciting to having won with that horse and now I go into the race with this one.

“He (Lazarus) is a very strong horse and came with a lot of hype but I think everybody was a little reserved and felt like, ‘OK, he’s going to have to show us.’ His first start, I thought, couldn’t have been better and I personally think he’ll be even better this week … With Jimmy training him, I know he’s going to be ready.”

Hannelore Hanover had difficulty in her elimination event last weekend and heads to the Maple Leaf Trot final having lost three straight races. What’s more, the 10-horse field is a deep one with five having won more than $2 million and six surpassing the $1-million plateau.

Ariana G, a world champion at three, has amassed $2.3 million in career earnings and won seven of eight starts at Mohawk Park. Marion Marauder, a five-year-old driven by Scott Zeron of Oakville, Ont., was the ’16 Trotting Triple Crown champion and won an elimination to surpass $3 million in all-time earnings.

Marion Marauder has won five of eight starts this season and four of the last five. But Gingras isn’t putting much stock in the six-year-old Hannelore Hanover’s elimination result.

“I’m going into the race thinking she can win it and I don’t think I’m being unrealistic,” he said. “Of course, I wish she would’ve been stronger in the elimination.

“But the main goal is Saturday and hopefully she’s 100 per cent for it.”

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press