GINGRAS A LADIES MAN, DOUBLES UP IN BIG M’S MISS VERSATILITY

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Yannick Gingras used a familiar tactic to perfection Saturday night, as his front-end driving excellence paid off big time while guiding both winners of the first leg of the Miss Versatility for open mare trotters at The Meadowlands.

In the opening $30,000 split, Gingras fired Walspea, a 4-year-old daughter of Walner-Speak To Me, to the top from the start from post five in the five-horse field (there was one scratch) and cut out fractions of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:25.2 on the way to an easy 2¼-length score in a lifetime-best-equaling 1:53 despite the sloppy conditions.

Bravo Angel S, the 3-5 favorite, rallied for second while never threatening the winner. Highlandstarburst was third.

“I thought she’d be ready (for this),” said winning trainer Trond Smedshammer. “One qualifier and one start, which I was very happy with. I thought she had a very good chance off those fractions. The favorite had a lot of work to do to catch her.”

As the 8-1 fourth choice in the wagering, Walspea returned $18.80 to win while racking up her eighth lifetime victory in 23 tries to lift her earnings to just over $300,000.

Miracle Maven’s walk in the park in the second division featured fractions of :28.4, :57.1 and 1:26.3 in the field of six, before a final quarter sprint of :27.3 sealed the deal by 1½ lengths over 35-1 longest-shot-on-the-board Bourbonista S in 1:54.1. Conversano, the 2025 Hambletonian Oaks champion, finished third.

“I thought she was much better last week (when a close-up second to Bravo Angel S),” said Gingras. “But she got the job done. She’s a nice mare.”

A 4-year-old daughter of Don’t Let’em-Bad Babysitter who is trained by Ron Burke, Miracle Maven recorded her 14^th career win from just 25 starts, good for earnings of $553,452. As the 1-5 favorite, she returned $2.60 to win.

A LITTLE MORE: Gingras, Dexter Dunn and Jason Bartlett tied atop the driver leaderboard with three victories apiece. … Per Engblom was the top trainer with three winners. … John Skladany made a $200 win bet on Trillion Times in the 15^th race, and when the horse won and paid $8.20, that vaulted Skladany to the top of the standings in the $1,000 Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping Contest. Skladany finished with a bankroll of $1,031, well clear of second-place finisher James Molina, who ended the night with $800. The duo have now each earned a spot in the Dec. 12 contest finale, which offers a prize pool of $10,000. … All-source wagering on the 15-race program totaled $2,557,791. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:35 p.m.

PHOTO: Walspea and driver Yannick Gingras won the first division of the Miss Versatility at The Meadowlands Saturday night. (Credit: Lisa Photo)