No driver has had more 21st century success in the Hambletonian Oaks than Yannick Gingras, and he added another Oaks title with 2020 champ Sorella during the Saturday (August 8) card of harness racing at The Meadowlands.
Trotting filly Sorella was coming into the 2020 $600,000 Hambletonian Oaks without shoes, and that move by trainer Nancy Takter certainly paid dividends as the 6/5 choice was an impressive gate-to-wire winner in 1:51. Second tier starters Hypnotic AM (Brian Sears) and Panem (Dexter Dunn) completed the triactor.
The win with Sorella gives Gingras victories in six of the last seven editions of the prestigious race, and he confessed that winning feeling doesn't get old.
"Any of these big races, you win them once and you want to win them again. It's a pretty good accomplishment to have six of them and definitely I'm proud of it.
"I thought it was three horses in the race that stood out, and the other two had posts 11 and 12, and when I left the gate I could see that they were going to get away mid-pack -- they weren't going to get away too too close, and I was taking no prisoners from there."
Owned by breeder Elmer Fannin of Lincoln, Del. with Brent Fannin of Milford, Del. and Crawford Farms Racing of Syracuse, N.Y., Sorella (Muscle Hill - Kadealia) is now four-for-five as a sophomore since joining the Nancy Takter stable.
"We're very excited," said Brent in the winner's circle after the win. "We bred Kadealia and we knew one day she was going to throw a good one. We just kept being patient and breeding her to the better sires that we could.
"We lost her mom earlier this year, in foal to Father Patrick, and hopefully Sorella can carry the torch from here."
The winner's share of the purse gives Sorella a sophomore bankroll of $368,063.
The Hambletonian Oaks is one of many stakes contested on the Hambletonian Day card at The Meadowlands. Read about the rest of the action in the Hambletonian Day News Centre.