Twisted Destiny and Swingtown prevailed in their respective 2025 Delvin Miller Adios eliminations on Saturday, July 19, and their connections will have the opportunity to select crucial post positions for next week's lucrative Grade 1 stakes event.

Not clearing until just before the half, Twisted Destiny ($7.80) was never better than he was in his $34,247 Delvin Miller Adios elim, holding off Prince Hal Hanover for the career best 1:48 victory.

Papis Rocket (Yannick Gingras) showed the most gate speed from post seven, outleaving favoured Prince Hal Hanover (Todd McCarthy). McCarthy didn't want the pocket seeing Twisted Destiny and Dexter Dunn not dropping down the pylons, and pressed the pace through a :26.4 opening quarter to clear Papis Rocket around the three-eighths mark.

Dunn and Twisted Destiny kept advancing to land on the lead just before the :54 half, maintained that position through a 1:21.3 third station under pressure from Rick Wink (Chris Page) and then stayed strong through the stretch to hold Prince Hal Hanover at bay by a length. Rick Wink and Papis Rocket completed the superfecta ticket to punch their tickets to the Adios final.

That's now 10 wins in 14 lifetime appearances for Twisted Destiny. The 2025 Messenger champ is trained by Chris Ryder for Let It Ride Stables Inc. of Boca Raton, Fl., Alberg Racing LLC of Washington, N.J., Enviro Stables Ltd. of Aventura, Fl. and Jesmeral Stable of New Rochelle, N.Y. With the elim win, his career earnings lifted to $342,015.

Swingtown ($18.80) swung four-wide around the far turn and held off a pylon-skimming Sippinonsearoc to prevail in the second Adios elim.

Ronnie Wrenn Jr. landed Swingtown in third early and maintained that position through the majority of the mile as Fallout (Tim Tetrick) fronted Sippinonsearoc (Gingras) through fractions of :26.2, :54.3 and 1:21.4. Papis Pistol (Dave Miller) provided cover to Wedlock Blue Chip (Dunn) heading into the far turn, with Wrenn looking for daylight pinned to the rail. He eventually wiggled out behind Papis Pistol when Wedlock Blue Chip shifted into the three path, then kept angling to the outside until finding daylight four-wide for Swingtown turning for home. Gingras stick-handled his way around stalled inside horses, and looked to have the edge on Swingtown approaching the wire. But Swingtown got his nose on the wire first, tripping the timer in 1:50.1. Raliroad Station (Page) showed late pace to finish third ahead of Wedlock Blue Chip, with Makes Sense (Dave Palone) rallying to finish fifth and advance to the $385,000 USD final as the richest fifth-place finisher.

A son of Downbytheseaside - Swinging Beauty, Swingtown is trained by Ron Burke — who qualified all five of the horses he entered for the Adios final — and owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, Pa. and Ohio-based Hatfield Stables of Columbus, Knox Services Inc. of Mt. Vernon and R A S Racing LLC of Powell. The win here was the ninth of the bay colt's career, bringing his earnings to $752,276.

The draw for the 2025 Delvin Miller Adios final, presented by the Mickey Burke Family, takes place on Wednesday, July 23.

Swingtown's win was one of four on the day for trainer Ron Burke, who also sent out a victorious John Dutton (1:53.2; $3.80) in the $24,658 Open Trot while sweeping the $27,397 divisions of the Roy Davis Arden Downs stakes for two-year-old male pacers. Melillo (1:53; $4.60) prevailed in the first split for driver Yannick Gingras, while Tim Tetrick engineered the winning effort behind Watch Em Win (1:52.3; $3.40) in the second division.

(Standardbred Canada)