Palladino: Hambletonian Could Present A Dilemma For Driver Yannick Gingras

By Ernie Palladino
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Amid race day's $850 hat contest, face-painting stations, live music by The Wild Ones and pony rides for the kiddies, the real story of Saturday's Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack will unfold over the two elimination heats and final.

Harness racing's grandest event, complete with a $1.2 million payday, will feature the sport's top three-year-olds of each sex, Pinkman and Mission Brief, as part of a 19-horse field. While it's no surprise to see these stars going after the big prize, it should prove to be an interesting afternoon for the man in the sulky.

Yannick Gingras, you see, is down to drive both horses in the $100,000 elimination races. Gingras, sitting on three consecutive driving titles after winning 153 races in 2014 for $3.3 million in earnings, will have a critical decision to make if he holds true to form and qualifies both horses. The colt Pinkman, winner of six of seven starts this year, is an 8-5 favorite coming out of the 10th gate position in the 10-horse, first elimination. Mission Brief, the filly, has won three of four of her starts. She goes out from the No. 2 post as a 6-5 favorite in the second elimination.

It's not exactly a Sophie's Choice situation for Gingras, of course. The only thing at stake here is money. He could go with the easy choice and take the colt, trained by the legendary Jimmy Takter.

Or, he could look to make a bit of history with the filly. And oddly enough, that might be the most enticing choice. Only 13 fillies have won the 90-year-old classic, the last being Continentalvictory in 1996. Mission Brief might have the best shot since then, considering she set a world record as a two-year-old with a 1:50 3/5 at the Red Mile last year.

The fastest Pinkman has ever run was 1:51 3/5.

That alone could make it "Ladies Day" at the Meadowlands track.

"Her best is as good as anybody's best," Mission Brief's trainer, Ron Burke, said this week. "That's all we're looking for, for her to show up and look like herself."

The fact that Pinkman will have a harder road to the final could also influence Gingras' decision. Coming out of the widest position, he'll have to run further and harder than Mission Brief, especially if he can't jump into the lead from the start.

Still, the single-day elimination format the Meadowlands re-adopted in 2013 should have little bearing on either horse's performance.

"Horses are high-performance animals and equine athletes in top shape," said Hambletonian society spokesperson Moira Fanning. "They're very different from thoroughbreds in that the gait is not at top speed like a gallop, so they can go extra miles and even warm up or jog miles before they race.

"They're bred for stamina, endurance and speed."

The organizers are also hoping that the buzz generated by American Pharaoh's Triple Crown feat and his recent Haskell win will have a trickle-down effect on the Hambletonian.

It helps that the Meadowlands reconfigured its grandstand in 2013 to create a cozier environment with more amenities, such as its rooftop terrace that provides a view of the New York City skyline.

"I believe it only helps harness racing as well," said Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment CEO and general manager Jason Settlemoir. "This is our second Hambletonian in our new building, and we're hopeful with good weather we'll exceed our expectations."

Whichever way Gingras chooses to go, the presence of both horses should make for an interesting national broadcast on the CBS Sports Network. Post time is 5:15 p.m.