“That day had it all –- the million dollars, the Hambletonian, Father Patrick and everything he’s accomplished. It was such a downer. Even though I had a great day, I didn’t feel like celebrating."

Three-year-old trotter Father Patrick is ready to get back to action Sunday in a division of the Tompkins-Geers Stakes at Tioga Downs in New York, looking to return to his winning ways after going off stride in the 2014 Hambletonian, snapping a 15-race unbeaten streak.

His driver, Yannick Gingras, is ready too.

“Win or lose, I’d always be looking forward to getting back on the track with him,” Gingras said. “He’s a great horse. He’s provided me with great thrills so far, and I’m sure there are plenty more to come.

“I’m looking forward to showing everybody what a great horse he is.”

Father Patrick’s return is part of a card that features 10 Tompkins-Geers divisions for trotters and pacers. Among the horses competing Sunday are three-year-old male pacer JK Endofanera, who earlier this year won the North America Cup, and multiple stakes-winning three-year-old female pacers Precocious Beauty and Uffizi Hanover.

Trained by Jimmy Takter, Father Patrick has won 16 of 18 career races and $1.26 million. He was the Hambletonian favourite, but drew post No. 10 – the outermost spot on the gate at the Meadowlands Racetrack – and went off stride at the start.

The million-dollar race was won by Trixton, another colt from the Takter Stable, with Takter himself in the sulky.

“I scored (Father Patrick) down pretty hard because I’ve never left with him before,” Gingras said after the race. “I wanted him to pay attention and be ready for (the start). The gate opened and I touched him on the tail with the whip and he took off running. It’s so unfortunate. Knock on wood, I’ll have another chance. But he never will.”

Gingras, who leads all harness racing drivers in purses with $7.23 million this year, won five stakes races on Hambletonian Day. But he still had difficulty feeling upbeat.

“It was a great day, but I still went home and was very disappointed,” Gingras said. “When you focus on a race for so long, that’s what makes it such a disappointment. There are only a couple million-dollar races and I haven’t won one yet.

“I do still think about it. It’s a race I’ll always want to take back, but you’ve got to live with it now at this point.”

Father Patrick races Sunday in the second of two Tompkins-Geers divisions for three-year-old male trotters. His split also includes Datsyuk, who finished sixth in the Hambletonian.

“They said he came out of the (Hambletonian) fine and he trained back good,” Gingras said about Father Patrick. “That was to be expected. There’s nothing wrong with him, so I’m sure he’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”

The first of the Tompkins-Geers divisions for three-year-old male trotters includes Dexter Cup winner Sumatra and Hambletonian fifth-place-finisher Resolve, a colt trained by Takter’s daughter, Nancy Johansson.

Precocious Beauty, who was the 2013 Dan Patch Award winner for best two-year-old female pacer, and Uffizi Hanover meet in the sole Tompkins-Geers for three-year-old female pacers. Precocious Beauty is coming off a win in the Empire Breeders Classic on Sunday at Tioga.

The Tompkins-Geers for three-year-old male pacers includes not only JK Endofanera, but Sweet Rock, who won the New Jersey Classic at odds of 92-1 on Hambletonian Day, and New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Doo Wop Hanover.

Among the two-year-old female trotters in action is Jolene Jolene, who finished second in the Merrie Annabelle Stakes.

“There are a lot of nice horses racing there, that’s for sure,” Gingras said.

This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.