Desperate Man, the 2021 Canadian Horse of the Year, made his first appearance of 2025, winning a qualifier at Sunshine Meadows in Delray Beach, Florida on Saturday morning, March 8.
U.S. Hall of Fame driver Yannick Gingras picked up the drive on Desperate Man as he took on two fellow Travis Alexander stablemates in the morning session. Desperate Man got away third of the three while Courtship (Matt Krueger) laid down first half fractions of :30.2 and 1:00. Desperate Man moved into second at three-quarters in 1:28.2 before out-sprinting Pleaseletmeknow (Wally Hennessey) to win by a length in 1:55, pacing a last quarter of :26.2 over the 'good' track.
"We were very happy with Desperate Man’s first qualifier of the season," Alexander told Trot Insider. "He’s come back very strong and is being pointed for leg one of the Borgata Series."
The lone drive on the day for Gingras, he filled in for regular reinsman Matt Kakaley, who drove Desperate Man for the entirety of his 2024 campaign.
"Yannick was in town so he filled in for Matt Kakaley, who had previous engagements at Pocono," said Alexander.
Now seven years old, the gelded son of Shadow Play-Dreamlands Latte enters 2025 off a banner year in 2024. Desperate Man won 11 of 16 starts last season, banking $662,774 and only missing the board twice for owner Kathy Cecchin of Arthur, Ont. The 2021 North America Cup champion enters the season knocking on the door of $2 million in career earnings, boasting a gaudy bankroll of $1,909,775.
The MGM Borgata Pacing Series is slated to get underway on Monday, March 31 at Yonkers Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Desperate Man winning at Yonkers Raceway)