San Pail Prevails In Credit Winner

Maple Leaf Trot and Nat Ray winner San Pail collared Lucky Jim at the wire in a 1:51.1 track record performance for his third straight stakes victory in the $218,000 Credit Winner at Vernon Downs on Friday night

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The two-time Older Trotting Horse of the Year in Canada lowered Lucky Jim's track record for trotters by four-fifths of a second, which he set last year in the Credit Winner.

Il Villaggio (Jody Jamieson), part of the Blair Burgess entry with All Cantab (Jim Morrill Jr.), fired off the gate and put up a :26.3 opening quarter before Lucky Jim (Tim Tetrick) swept up to take command of the field, which was reduced to seven with Take My Picture scratched.

At the half in :55, driver Randy Waples sent double millionaire San Pail first over from fifth flushing Il Villaggio back out from the pocket.

Lucky Jim pressed on reaching three-quarters in 1:23.4 and drew clear of his first over attacker in the stretch, but San Pail kept on coming and collared him at the wire in 1:51.1. Il Villaggio finished third with Define The World (Paul MacDonell) and All Cantab earning the final paycheques.

After the win, Waples said the trip wasn't exactly what he had hoped for, but noted that San Pail is very versatile.

"He got away mid-pack which is good for him. He always has that ability that he can go to the front if that's what I want him to do, but they were going lots so I didn't mind staying where I was," he said. "I kind of thought there might be a chance for a second over trip. I thought maybe Paul might bring Define The World out because he raced so great in his last start at Mohawk. I was kind of hoping that's the way it would have worked out, but he elected to stay in.

"They were starting to slow down during the third quarter so it was time to come," continued Canada's reigning Driver of the Year. "I didn't want them to get too much of a breather and me give up too much ground so I let him come pretty hard on the outside and Jody popped out of the hole, which gave me a little bit of cover for a bit.

"Honestly, I didn't know halfway down the lane if I was going to get to Lucky Jim. That horse raced stupendous tonight. He's always been an unbelievable horse and a pleasure to race against. I didn't think I was going to get to him -- he was digging in something fierce -- but the thing about my horse is he just won't quit. He just keeps coming and luckily the wire got there a little too late for him and just at the right time for me."

San Pail paid $2.90 to win. The seven-year-old son of San Pellegrino-Village Beauty is owned by breeder Glenn Van Camp of Port Perry, Ont. and trainer Rod Hughes of Dunsford, Ont. He now boasts 10 wins in 12 starts on his 2011 record with $842,750 earned. The victory was his 45th lifetime and pushed his career earnings over the $2.5 million mark.

"He's taken Rod and Emily Hughes on such a ride," added Waples. "This horse came along and basically made their life for them. He bought them a farm and paid for their son's college. It's just been unbelievable. He's a horse that anyone would dream of and luckily they're the ones that got him."

In front of the crowded grandstand, Waples concluded by offering a few words of gratitude to the fans.

"Sometimes we race when there's not crowds like this and for everybody who is out there today that comes and supports harness racing and took the time to sit out here and watch these great horses do battle, I just want to say thank you very much," he said. "We really do appreciate you guys. We appreciate the noise that you make and the fact that you come out and support us and love horses as much as we do. And I also want to say a big thank you to Vernon Downs because you guys put on a great show."

In another close call one race earlier, Armbro Flight champion Action Broadway wore down Autumn Escapade right at the wire to capture the $164,000 Muscle Hill Trot for aged mares in a 1:54.2 track record performance.

The time of the mile shaved one-fifth of a second off the record for aged trotting mares, set by eighth place finisher Buck I St Pat, in 2009.

Longshot Yursa Hanover (John Campbell) worked her way to the top from the outside Post 8 during a :27 second opening quarter, but Autumn Escapade (Dave Miller) rolled up to take over en route to the half in :57.

As Autumn Escapade led the way past three-quarters in 1:26.4, the hot-handed Brian Sears sent Action Broadway first up from the backfield. Heading down the stretch, Action Broadway was quickly gaining ground on the outside while Yursa Hanover tried to squeeze up the rail. In the final strides, Action Broadway got the best of Autumn Escapade to win by a head with Yursa Hanover settling for third.

The win was former Vernon Downs leading reinsman Brian Sears' fourth of the night.

"I knew that Buck I St Pat was going to be on my back and I was probably going to give her a second over trip," said Sears. "But we race against these horses every week and I thought Autumn Escapade backing the half down like she did might be vulnerable just because usually she'd be trotting a little stronger than that. So I came first over and she was real game and was able to hold on right to the end."

Virgil Morgan trains the daughter of Broadway Hall-Photo With Molly, who now sports a record reading 10-5-2 in 22 starts as a four-year-old, for owner-breeder Kenneth Sommer of Sheffield, Ohio. She has banked $438,275 of her $735,800 career bankroll just this year.

Action Broadway paid $7.50 to win as the 7-2 third choice in the field.

One more track record was toppled and another was threatened as two-year-olds faced off on Friday’s undercard in the Historic Stakes.

New Jersey Sires Stakes champion Upside Hanover and Sears won the first $36,550 Acorn Stake division for two-year-old trotting fillies in 1:56.1, shaving three-fifths of a second off the former divisional track record set by Seducedbychocolate in 2010. The Muscles Yankee-Up Front Laura filly, who bested Southwind Lindy (John Campbell) and Lindy Madonna (Frank Antonacci), is trained by Robert Krivelin for the Hero Stables for Goshen, New York.

Cowgirl Hall and trainer-driver Gates Brunet captured the other $36,050 split in 1:57 over Cant Have My Moni (Tim Tetrick) and Shes All In (Rick Plano). The Cash Hall-Centerfold Hall miss is owned by New York’s Theodore Gewertz, Michael Rosenthal of Las Vegas, Nevada, Jean Brunet of Gloucester, Ont., and Deborah Brunet of Munsville, New York.

Mcerlean and Tim Tetrick won the $75,500 Goshen Cup for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings 1:53. Whos Your Maddy (Sears) and Allstar Blues (Jody Jamieson) finished second and third. John Berger trains the Mcardle-Igottwowordsforyou youngster for John Siena and Barbara Berger of Middletown, New York.

America Gangster and Sears sprinted a :26.4 final frame en route to winning the $79,900 E.H. Harriman Cup for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings in 1:55.3, just one-fifth of a second off Manofmanymission’s divisional track record. Pacesetter Big Chocolate (Homer Hochstetler) finished a half length behind with Beer Summit (James Ray) third.

After the victory, Sears said the colt has the potential to compete at the level of this year's Colonial Trot winner Manofmanymission.

"I think he has the mindset and the talent physically," he said. "And he looks the part so hopefully things will stay good and the sky's the limit."

The Andover Hall-Four Starz Lindy is trained by Chris Oakes for the Hauser Brothers Racing Enterprises LLC of Orangeburg, New York, Vincent Tudisco of Hillsdale, New Jersey and Matt Tudisco of Park Ridge, New Jersey.

Sears also won the $61,300 Debutante Stake for two-year-old pacing fillies with the Mark Ford-trained Blackjack Princess in 1:54.2 by a half length over Linda Toscano trainees Jk Fine Art (Tetrick) and Jk Cracklin Rosie (Jim Morrill Jr.). Robert DiNozzi of Ossining, New York owns the Cams Card Shark-Happy Doris miss.

Tetrick swept a pair of Open events winning with Versado in the week’s $10,000 pace in 1:51 and A Crown For Lindy in the $10,500 trotting contest in 1:56.