Hempt winner Springsteen, North America Cup runner-up Done Well and Meadowlands Pace runner-up Dorsuduro Hanover lead a field of 16 into the 52nd edition of the $450,000 (estimate) Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids at the Meadows.
Eliminations are set for this coming Saturday (July 21), which will feature a first-race post time of 1:05 p.m. The final will headline a blockbuster Saturday, July 28 card that will also feature five other Grand Circuit stakes. The Adios Day program will begin at noon.
The first four finishers in each elimination, plus the fifth-place finisher with the highest career earnings, will return for the final. The connections of elimination winners will choose their post positions for the final – their selection order will be determined by draw – with all other post positions determined by random draw on Tuesday, July 24.
Springsteen, who hasn’t had a pari-mutuel start since winning the $500,000 Hempt final on June 30, turned in a sharp July 11 qualifier, which he won in 1:52 with a :26.1 final panel. Simon Allard is scheduled to drive the son of Rock N Roll Heaven-American Charm for trainer Rene Allard and owners Allard Racing Inc., Bruce Soulsby, Alan Weisenberg and Kapildeo Singh. He’ll start from the rail in the second elimination.
Done Well followed up his sharp performance in the North America Cup with a pair of fourth-place finishes in the Hempt. Trainer Brian Brown has given the son of Well Said-Dagnabit Hanover a breather since then. James Stambaugh, Wingfield Brothers LLC, Milton Leeman and Alan Keith campaign Done Well, who’ll have the services of Tim Tetrick when he starts from Post 7 in the first elimination.
Dorsoduro Hanover had a monstrous Meadowlands Pace final. He overcame Post 10 and closed in :26.4 – despite his 57-1 odds – and was beaten only one and a quarter lengths by Courtly Choice. The Somebeachsomewhere-Deer Valley Miss gelding has drawn Post 3 in the second elimination for trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable, Silva, Purnel & Libby, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Wingfield Five. Matt Kakaley has been listed to drive.
Burke (with four) and Tony Alagna (three) are the only trainers with multiple entrants.
The eliminations have been carded as Race 12 and Race 13.
The fields appear below in post position order with trainers and tentative driving assignments.
Elimination 1
(Race 12)
(PP – Horse – Trainer/Listed Driver)
1 – Summer Travel – Andrew Harris/David Miller
2 – No Easy Day – Ron Burke/Matt Kakaley
3 – American History – Tony Alagna/Yannick Gingras
4 – Shadow Cat – John Butenschoen/Corey Callahan
5 – Bambino Joe – Greg Wright Jr./Aaron Merriman
6 – GD Western Joe – Ron Burke/Yannick Gingras
7 – Done Well – Brian Brown/Tim Tetrick
8 – Wes Delight – Mark Harder/Corey Callahan
Elimination 2
(Race 13)
(PP – Horse – Trainer/Listed Driver)
1 – Springsteen – Rene Allard/Simon Allard
2 – Larry Karr – Ron Burke/Yannick Gingras
3 – Dorsoduro Hanover – Ron Burke/Matt Kakaley
4 – Hitman Hill – Chris Oakes/Brett Miller
5 – Thinkbig Dreambig – Jimmy Takter/Jordan Stratton
6 – Odds On Lauderdale – Tony Alagna/Scott Zeron
7 – Western Beachboy – Christen Pantaleano/Jim Pantaleano
8 – Babes Dig Me – Tony Alagna/Brett Miller
(Meadows)