Quebec native Yannick Gingras has been one of the sport’s leading drivers for almost two decades, but the one race he wanted most - the Hambletonian - had managed to elude him. After a dozen attempts and a number of close calls, including a specific one that truly haunted him, Hambo #99 looked like it could be the one… and it was! Yannick opens up here, about the narrow misses, the surmounting pressure as the years passed by, and the pure joy that his victory with Karl brought to him and his family. By John Rallis.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” recalls Yannick Gingras, who reminisces about the worst moment of his racing career, which took place back in August of 2014 at The Meadowlands.
“I had my first real contender in the Hambletonian, with a horse I didn’t think could get beat,” shares a confident Yannick. “But, of course, we all know how that turned out…” Father Patrick was the trotter’s name, and the son of Cantab Hall, trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Jimmy Takter, had suffered just one loss in his career (16 for 17) leading up to the signature trotting event that every driver, trainer and owner in the sport dreams of being associated with.
For a 34-year-old Yannick Gingras, he had every reason to be confident going into the $1,006,125 final, especially given the fact that Father Patrick seemed virtually unbeatable. That was until the mental gymnastics began to creep in just days before the race.
“With only eleven entered to go [in the Hambletonian], there were no heats that year,” recalls Yannick. “Jimmy Takter had three colts who were tops in the division, which played a role in the lack of entrants.
“Because of that there was an open draw, which meant everyone had equal fate when it came to post-positions. Again, I didn’t think anything of it, mainly because of my colt’s ability, but when he drew the ten-hole, everything changed for me, mentally.
“To be honest, where he drew should’ve never been a big deal, but I made it more problematic for myself than I needed it to be. Instead of being calm, cool and collected about it, I let it consume me the rest of the week, which impacted what I did on race day.”
On August 2, 2014, out came the field of eleven sophomore trotting colts for the 13th race: the 89th edition of the Hambletonian. All eyes were on Yannick Gingras and the overwhelming race favourite, from post #10, Father Patrick. It was their race to lose.
“That day, the colt felt tremendous, just like he always did,” shares Yannick. “I did nothing differently with him in the post-parade, which in hindsight, turned out to be a huge mistake.
“To that point, I had never asked Father Patrick to leave out really hard in a race, but I figured that’s what he needed with an outside draw, so that’s what I decided I was going to do. Boy, was I wrong.”
As the wings folded, Gingras urged Father Patrick out aggressively just as he had planned; and after just a few steps, the colt immediately went off-stride, something he had never done in his career up to that point.
“Both of my arms just went completely numb,” recalls an emotional Yannick, who choked up just having to relive that heart-breaking moment yet again. “The entire first quarter, as he was galloping, every part of me shut down, because I knew the race was over.
“I touched his tail [with the whip] as we were leaving out, and it spooked him,” admits Yannick. “I had never done that at any point when I’d sat behind him, but I did that in the Hambletonian and it caused him to run. Going into the race, I acted like it was business as usual with him, just like every other start. I didn’t give him any indication that this time, things would be different, and that was completely my fault.”
The last place Gingras wanted to be was around anybody - let alone having to race again - but the young reinsman reminded himself that part of the responsibility that comes with driving horses is being able to ‘turn the page’. That’s exactly what Yannick did going into race 14 that afternoon, despite dealing with anguish just moments prior.
“When I got back on the bike for the Lady Liberty, I was by myself on the track for about 7-8 minutes. I kept having to remind myself that it was a different race, with a different horse, and that I had to move on. It was incredibly tough, but I had to put it behind me at that moment.”
Gingras and aged pacing mare Rocklamation would score in the Lady Liberty final by a neck, in 1:49.3, for trainer Ron Burke. That victory was a testament to Gingras’ professionalism, and it didn’t go unnoticed by his peers.
“John McDermott, a really good friend of mine, was waiting for me as I came off the track and I’ll never forget what he said to me. He said, ‘I’m so proud of you for putting that race behind you and going out there to handle your business. That’s what great drivers do.’”
Those words held a lot of merit for the Quebec-native.
On this day however, 10 years later, Yannick went on to shed more light on what was the worst moment of his career.
“Even though that race scarred me in such a way, I think it made me such a better driver overall. If I was able to put that Hambletonian loss behind me, which was my fault, I think I can bounce back from just about anything.
“That day was just such an emotional roller coaster. I had a great day overall… I mean, I won five races, including the Hambletonian Oaks with Lifetime Pursuit (also trained by Takter), but making that mistake in the Hambletonian was a dark cloud on the entire day for me.”
Father Patrick not being associated with a Hambletonian title is what bothered Gingras the most, something he still beats himself up about to this day.
“The fact that Father Patrick will never have a Hambo title on his resume, still bothers me a lot,” admits Yannick, as he battles emotions. “He deserved to have his name amongst those other [Hambo] champions, and I carry that burden knowing that. It still bothers me.”
One individual who still had plenty of reason to smile on that day despite the result, was Father Patrick’s trainer, Jimmy Takter. His other two charges, Trixton and Nuncio, finished first and second, respectively, with Takter aboard the winner, marking his first - and only - Hambletonian victory as a driver.
“Jimmy [Takter] was still really happy on that day, and rightfully so,” states Yannick. He is like a second father to me. I remember the conversation we had after the race, even after I told him that what had happened was my fault. He said ‘Kid, you’ll have this moment for yourself one day, don’t you worry.’”
That ‘moment’ that Takter spoke of, came knocking on the door just one year later, as Gingras had himself a pair of legitimate Hambletonian hopefuls to choose from in 2015.
“In 2015, I was going into the Hambletonian with two legitimate contenders. I had Mission Brief, a filly who was trained by Ronnie [Burke], who many believed to be the best three-year-old trotter that year, and then there was Pinkman for Jimmy [Takter], who was coming into the eliminations in really good form.
“I knew that the way the heats were seeded that they wouldn’t race against one another, so I told both trainers that I was going to decide on who I’d go with [in the final] after the heats.
Both horses won their respective heats, just one-fifth of a second apart, but Gingras knew immediately after he crossed the wire which of the two he was going to side with in the final.
“I told Ronnie in the winner’s circle that I was going with Mission Brief. Even though she wasn’t perfect [gait-wise] in her elim, she won with so much left in comparison to Pinkman, who I felt should’ve had more [left] in his win.
“Mission Brief had gears that were next level, and I was confident that I was picking the right horse.”
When Gingras broke the news to Takter about his decision, there’s no surprise that the Hall of Fame conditioner took his decision to heart.
“Jimmy wasn’t too pleased with me,” admits Yannick. “I’m not going to repeat what was said at that moment, but let’s just say he wasn’t happy.
“I think part of it had to do with the fact that he felt like my decision was already made up even before the eliminations, which wasn’t the case. But I couldn’t worry about anything other than trying to win the Hambo.”
Despite being the lone filly in the group of ten, the betting public shared the same feeling as Gingras in Mission Brief being the one to beat, and she went off as the 3/5 favourite over Pinkman. But just like Gingras, the punters got it wrong too.
“She was a different horse [in the final] than the one I drove in the heat, and the same can be said about Pinkman, who was unbelievably good” shares Yannick. “I came first-over against him and she just didn’t hit the gear that she usually does. It was too bad.”
Gingras watched as Jimmy Takter celebrated a Hambletonian without him for the second consecutive year, and although luck wasn’t in his favour on that day yet again, Gingras never dwelled on his decision.
“I’d pick Mission Brief ten times over, even knowing the result. In my mind, I truly believed that I was picking the best horse, and I can live with what happened.
“You need to have the best horse on that day, and Pinkman proved to be just that in the final. I picked the wrong horse, which I’ve done many times in my career, and will [continue to] do. I thought I drove the race the way I needed to, it just didn’t work out. That’s racing.”
Even after the loss with Mission Brief, Gingras still felt that given his stock, and who he was driving for, that the opportunities would be aplenty - and 2016 was no different.
“Southwind Frank was my Hambletonian hopeful in 2016, and he was arguably the best trotter in the division. I wouldn’t say he was at the same level of dominance that year the way Father Patrick was, but he was legit.”
With Hambletonian defeats in 2014 and 2015, Gingras had hoped that the third time would be the charm. But as fate would have it, the racing gods found a new way to present the reinsman with heartbreak.
“Turning for see home in the Hambletonian [the 2/1 second choice] Southwind Frank, wasn’t trotting the smoothest. The entire stretch drive, I was doing my very best just to keep him trotting.
“I lost by a nose in that race, and Southwind Frank went off-stride one step after we crossed the wire. Selfishly, I’d almost rather he made a break earlier in the mile, because truthfully, there’s nothing worse than getting beat by a nose, especially in the Hambletonian. But at the same time, we made $250,000 for the owners, and that’s a heck of a lot better than nothing.”
After falling short in the Hambletonian for three consecutive years, with horses who were top contenders in the race, the conservation about Gingras and his luck began to surface. And as the years went by, the chatter became blaring.
In 2017, Yannick watched as Perfect Spirit captured the Hambletonian, a horse he booked off just a few starts prior. In 2021, he drove Captain Corey to a second-place finish in the Stanley Dancer, and watched him win the Hambletonian a few weeks later, with a different pilot.
Things became increasingly frustrating, and it started to make Gingras ponder a few things.
“I did consider talking to a sports psychologist about my luck in that race itself,” admits Yannick openly. “Ultimately, I looked back and saw where I positioned each horse, and I thought my process was great. So I just told myself, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing.’”
What bothered Gingras the most though, was not the chatter that surrounded himself and his misfortunes, it was how the people he cared about the most, his family, dealt with the ongoing narrative that followed him.
“All that chatter about my struggles in the Hambletonian, I heard it all,” shares Yannick. “And for me, as a driver, I understand that you’re going to lose races. For me, the biggest struggle was not with me having to hear it, it was for my family having to listen to it all.
“As years went by and my three kids got older, they had more of an idea as to what was going on, and what was being said regarding the narrative that surrounded me. My kids wanted me to win that race just to see me happy. With every passing Hambletonian, I could feel my kids starting to feel sorry for me, and I struggled with that.
“As a father, I’m supposed to be the one protecting them, reassuring them that everything is going to be okay, so to see the way that they were towards me in those moments… I didn’t want them to feel like they had to protect me. I wanted the narrative to come to an end for that reason alone.”
Heading into 2024, Gingras remained winless in twelve tries in the Hambletonian. His stock in the race, over the last several years, wasn’t of the same caliber as in that three-year stretch from 2014-16, but in 2023, along came his next legitimate hope.
Karl, bred and owned in-part by Crawford Farms, and co-owned by Christina & Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing, and Bender Sweden Inc, is a son of Tactical Landing who turned heads as a rookie in 2023, winning 9 of his 10 starts and bankrolling over $1 million. And the colt really put Gingras on notice the very first time he sat behind him.
“The first time I baby-raced Karl, I just said ‘Oh my freaking’ God.’ We won in [1]:54 and it was a literal walk in the park. That performance was just special.
“From that moment on, everytime I sat behind him, I was already mindful about the first weekend in August [in 2024],” admits Yannick. “Everything I did with him as a two-year-old, I just made sure he stayed ready. This was a colt who I felt was on-par with Father Patrick in terms of his talent and dominance, and it was up to me to make sure he came out of every race okay.”
Still shouldering the burden of the loss that took place ten years ago, the pressure leading up to this year’s Hambletonian was amplified by a thousand, for a multitude of reasons. From the moment Karl’s rookie season came to close (with a victory in the Valley Victory at The Meadowlands), he was instantly pegged as the Winter-Book favourite for the Hambo. For Gingras, that’s the last thing he needed.
“From the added national TV coverage, to the publications, and all the chatter on social media, all I ever heard about from the beginning of 2024 onwards, was Karl. And for good reason, because he’s a special colt.
“I had placed way more pressure on myself than ever before when it came to this colt, but a lot of it had to do with past experiences. I just didn’t want him [Karl] to suffer the same fate as Father Patrick, and not have a Hambletonian title to his resume. I needed to make sure everything came together leading up to that day.”
As a sophomore, Karl had won his first four starts, doing it with the utmost ease. There was no reason for any qualms as the Hambletonian approached - that was until a third-place effort in the Stanley Dancer left many with some reservations.
A colt who once seemed invincible, showed the racing world that he was, indeed, vulnerable. Gingras’ confidence however, never wavered in the slightest.
“He just got tired,” says Yannick about Karl’s performance in the Stanley Dancer. “You need to get tired in order to get stronger; and for Karl, I was confident that was going to be the case with him. It was the best thing that happened to him, in my opinion.”
Just like Gingras has done in the past with some of his past misfortunes, he put a positive spin on that specific loss. For him, it was a bit of an eye-opener, something he felt was needed a few weeks away from the Hambletonian.
“It was good for me [to lose that race]. It was a bit of a wake-up call, and I think I needed that. Maybe I was a little too confident in him, thinking that he was invincible out there.
“That loss made me realize that I’d have to play a little bit of a role in guiding him, doing certain things to make it easier on him. Realizing that was a big factor.”
Gingras spoke confidently about the colt amidst his first real taste of adversity. He didn’t care about reassuring the general public that his confidence never wavered, he just cared about reaching out to his family.
“I texted my youngest daughter, Averi [12], right after the race and I told her ‘Don’t worry, it’s fine.’ I knew when he got beat that some of the kids might start to worry... I didn’t want any of them to worry, I assured them that I would be okay.”
Though Gingras walked around with a supreme confidence in his colt’s ability, the month leading up to the Hambletonian was the most pressure he had ever dealt with in his life.
“It was a very hard month, I won’t even sugar-coat it,” says an emotional Yannick. “I was thinking about it [the Hambletonian] every single day from that point on… I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t in the back of my mind.
“Nobody put pressure on me… it was all me. I just wanted to make sure that this colt had a Hambo title on his resume. Like I’ve said earlier, I’ve had the best horse, but they haven’t always shown up in that race. That’s the part that starts to worry you, and that’s all I could think about.”
Two weeks after his first loss of 2024, Karl drew post #6 in his Hambo elimination, and Gingras guided him to a first-over, wrapped-up score in 1:50.3, restoring the notion that he was the one to beat going into the final.
As a result of the victory, they were guaranteed a spot anywhere from post 1-6; he drew the rail and was labeled as the 6/5 morning line favourite. Just like in 2014, all eyes were on Yannick Gingras and a Takter trainee. For Gingras, it was all about staying mentally ready leading up to the big day.
“We owned a cottage in Maine, so in year’s past our family would go there and spend the week leading up to Hambo day. There weren’t stakes anywhere leading up to it, so for me, it was a nice escape to relax leading up to a huge day of racing.
“Now, with Kentucky being so strong, I’m spending Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays racing in Lexington, so this year, I wanted to keep racing in order to keep my mind away from Saturday. Racing was a great distraction for me, all while keeping me sharp, both mentally and tactically.”
There was a 14-race card slated to go at The Meadowlands on the Friday night, which would be followed by the Hambletonian card kicking off at noon the next day. Gingras had altered his annual weekly routine leading up to Hambo Day, so he figured he might as well do things a little bit differently the night before as well.
“My wife [Vicki] and I usually take two cars on Hambo Day because we bring friends or family with us. On the Friday night this year I decided to stay over at a hotel near the track, to make sure I got a good night’s rest instead.
“When I left the house on Friday to head over to the races, I gave my youngest daughter a hug and kiss and told her, ‘Tomorrow is the day we get it done’.
“All day leading up to the race, I was analyzing everything. After every race, I was telling myself, ‘Okay, what about the front… is the front changing, or is it better to be off the pace?’ It was an ongoing evaluation process.”
The time for evaluations was all but over as the field for the 99th Hambletonian was getting set to hit the racetrack. Trainer Nancy Takter handed Gingras the lines, and out went the colt, only this time, Yannick had experience on his side.
“There were a lot of photographers on the inside of the track, so I turned him around and jogged him one full lap the right way, but I went super slow. I wanted Karl to see the photographers and be fully aware of all his surroundings. I didn’t want them to surprise him whatsoever if he saw them at any point during the race.
“With about three-four minutes to post, I touched him with the whip to let him know that it was ‘Go time’. From that point on, he felt ready to go.”
Having drawn post #1, many pundits had tried to figure out just how Gingras would operate from the pole position. The reinsman had only one plan in mind from the moment the draw came out, and his mind didn’t change.
“Plan A, B and C was to race him from off the pace in the final. There were three horses that I wanted to follow - TCI, Highland Kismet or Sig Sauer - and if I could get one of them to drop right in front of me, I felt I was golden.”
Just as the gate began to roll, a torrential downpour came from the skies - as if Gingras needed another wrinkle in a race that had eluded him. Sometimes, things don’t always go according to plan, but on this day he got his wish in terms of his desired trip; now it was up to the colt.
“I got Bobby [McClure] to land in front of me with Kismet early on, and right away I knew I’d have a great helmet to follow. He had been racing great all year and he was so good in the elimination, I knew he’d be able to take me where I wanted to go, the rest was up to my colt.”
As they turned for home, Highland Kismet cleared the pace-setter, T C I, and opened up a couple lengths on Gingras and Karl. For a split second, there was a hint of doubt.
“When I saw Bobby open up I said, ‘Oh, here we go again,’” admits Yannick. “But my colt just took a few strides to kick into gear, and the rest was a blur.”
As Gingras and Karl rallied past Highland Kismet and hit the wire on top, the Quebec-native displayed an immense amount of emotion, raising his first profusely in celebration of his monumental feat. Yannick Gingras had done it; in that moment, he became a Hambletonian champion.
“I just broke down in tears once I crossed the wire. I was ecstatic about winning, but those tears were mostly tears of relief. There was so much pressure leading up to that moment that I couldn’t keep it up any longer.”
Before Gingras made his way over to a winner’s circle full of a happy contingent of owners, family members and friends, he needed a moment of embrace with the colt who made everything happen for him.
“I just wanted thirty seconds with Karl before I made it back to the winner’s circle,” shares Yannick.
“I just needed a moment with only me and him, so I could thank him, really. He’s done way more for me than I’ve done for him… he means a lot to me.”
As Gingras came back to the winner’s circle full of people who were all soaking wet from the torrential downpour, nothing could dampen his spirits. The embrace that he shared with his family, made all those years of hardships all the more worth it.
“When I hugged my kids, that was such an emotional moment. My daughters, Addison and Averi came first, and we were all bawling. Shortly after, my son Jaiden came over, and we all just embraced. It was special.
“I always figured that moment was going to happen, but leading up to it, given everything that’s occurred, you never know.”
Gingras also made sure to remind Averi about the exchange they had on the Friday morning.
“I remember telling her ‘I told you, didn’t I? I told you’. She just nodded as we sobbed (laughing).”
Only one thing caught Gingras a little off guard that day, and that was when his father showed up in the winner’s circle after Yannick’s biggest triumph.
“People kept coming over, one after another… and next thing you know, I see my dad. It’s not the first time he’s shown up to the races to surprise me, but it’s not something I expected.
“Him being there meant a lot. He taught me everything I needed to learn as a person, as a driver and most of all, a father.”
There was a long list of individuals who were elated to see Yannick Gingras win a Hambletonian, but no one was more proud of the feat than his wife, Vicki, who has been happily married to the reinsman since 2004 - the same year her beloved Red Sox ended their World Series curse, no less!
“When you see the attention to detail, and the level of preparation he puts forth into racing horses on a nightly-basis, it makes you appreciate everything he’s accomplished even more,” shares Vicki.
“His success isn’t an accident, it’s all a result of hard work and dedication. I’m just so proud.”
Having been by his side throughout his poor luck in past Hambletonians, Vicki has a different perspective on her husband’s misfortunes in the Hambletonian than most.
“It’s funny, because I’ve had this conversation with a few people,” says Vicki. “Honestly, as much as it sucked to lose those times, and a few of those losses were heartbreaking… Just to be in the race with a good chance to win is a really big deal. I think that means more than actually not being in the race itself.
“Even so, I could see what winning this race meant to Yannick, and how hard he was on himself for what happened with Father Patrick in 2014,” shares Vicki.”I’m just glad that the narrative of him not being able to win this race will be put to rest.”
As for watching the race, Vicki was more nervous than she had been in years, in large part knowing that Karl was likely her husband’s best chance at a Hambletonian.
“We don’t know for sure if he [Yannick] will get another opportunity to sit behind a horse as talented as Karl, but as we’ve seen before, we know that sometimes talent doesn’t always win you this race. A lot needs to go right and I’m glad in this case, that it did.
“I am a very superstitious person,” admits Vicki. “I wanted to watch the race on my own, in a different spot than I have in year’s past. I needed to do something to change the fortune, as crazy as that sounds (laughing).
“A few of us were handed ‘K’ necklaces for Karl,” shares Vicki. “I remember just rubbing the K necklaces the entire mile and it seemed to have worked (laughing).”
Like Yannick, celebrating that moment in the winner’s circle with all three of their kids was memorable. The embrace that the five of them shared, was an indication of just how united the family of five truly are.
“The most amazing part of that day, believe it or not, was that it rained,” shares Vicki. “It’s almost like when the rain came down before the race began, it just washed away all the negative memories and experiences in the Hambletonians prior, and this was a clean slate. It certainly felt that way, at least.”
The morning after the win, Gingras went straight to Lexington to race horses. The grind of a driver doesn’t stop, which makes it difficult to truly reflect on, or enjoy on their greatest accomplishments. Gingras will find the right time to enjoy that milestone, but for now, he’s just glad that there’s no more noise.
“I don’t know why that narrative became such a big deal to begin with, but I heard it a lot,” shares Yannick.
“I did an interview with Michael Carter [for CBS] before the race, and he mentioned that people consider me the ‘Dale Earnhardt Jr.’ of harness racing. I mean, personally, I didn’t agree with any of it.
“There are so many other top guys who have won it just once, and have lost with horses who were top contenders,” says Yannick. “Somehow, it didn’t become a story for them? I get it’s the nature of the business, but the reality is that it’s just one of the toughest races in the world to win.”
Almost ten years to the day when Yannick Gingras made the biggest blunder of his racing career with Father Patrick, he was able to redeem himself on that same stage, with Karl, a horse seemingly parallel in ability. And he did it for the very same family that has put their trust in him all those years ago.
“They’re family,” says Yannick about the Takters. “Of course they’re incredible [horsepeople], but they’re just great people, and they mean a lot to our family as well.”
Just like Jimmy Takter told Yannick he would, after his devastating loss in 2014, the talented reinsman finally got ‘his moment’.
