by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — San Pail, the unanimous No. 1-ranked horse in the most recent Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Top 10 poll, will make his first trip to Lexington’s Red Mile for Saturday’s $145,000 Allerage Farms open trot. The Canadian-based 7-year-old has won 11 of 13 races this season, including his last four, and earned $891,750. He has won 25 of his last 29 starts and finished worse than second only once during that span.

In the Allerage, San Pail will face Lucky Jim — the last horse to beat him, July 16 in the Open at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario — Take My Picture, Lanson, Arch Madness, Il Villaggio, and Hot Shot Blue Chip.

San Pail will start from post five with regular driver Randy Waples. The horse was expected to leave Canada on Thursday morning and make the trip south to Kentucky.

Fotowon photo

San Pail, who won the Credit Winner in his last stakes engagement, will head to The Red Mile on Saturday.

“I didn’t want to get him down there too early, nor too late, so I’m kind of splitting the difference,” said trainer Rod Hughes, who owns San Pail with breeder Glenn Van Camp. “We’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing all along, which is trucking in about two days out. It keeps him at home here and keeps him in his routine. We can jog one day and race the next, which seems to be working so far. Everything seems to be going the way you’d like to see so far.”

San Pail enters the Allerage off a 1:51.3 win in the Open Handicap on September 20 at Mohawk. In his three previous starts, the son of San Pellegrino-Village Beauty won the $218,000 Credit Winner with a track-record 1:51.1 performance at Vernon Downs, won the $300,000 Nat Ray Invitational in 1:50.4 at the Meadowlands and won the $766,500 Maple Leaf Trot at Mohawk. His time of 1:51.1 in the Maple Leaf set the stakes record and equaled the track record for older trotters.

“He seems to be getting better as the year goes along, or stronger,” Hughes said. “He’s a little more mentally focused. He’s definitely putting in a good year for me. He always gives you 110 percent, but he seems to be on his own mission this year.”

Hughes hopes San Pail has no difficulty handling Lexington’s red clay surface on Saturday night.

“I’m not going to change a whole lot shoeing wise or anything,” he said. “I’m just going to stick with what’s been working and hopefully it’s the right move.”

San Pail, who was kicked by another horse as a yearling and unable to be sold at auction as planned, has given his breeder and trainer a number of memorable experiences over the ensuing years. This season, he slowly ascended the Top 10 before taking his spot at the top of the list.

“That means a lot to see him up there,” Hughes said. “It’s nice to be included in such a list.

“He’s definitely given me quite a few good experiences, no matter where we end up.”

Following is the field in post position order for Saturday’s $145,000 Allerage Farms open trot, with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Lucky Jim, Andy Miller, Erv Miller; 2. Take My Picture, David Miller, Nikolas Drennan; 3. Lanson, Mike Lachance, Don Swick; 4. Arch Madness, Brian Sears, Trond Smedshammer; 5. San Pail, Randy Waples, Rod Hughes; 6. Il Villaggio, Jody Jamieson, Blair Burgess; 7. Hot Shot Blue Chip, John Campbell, Jonas Czernyson.