Eighteen of harness racing’s top three-year-old pacing colts and geldings, including North America Cup winner Thinking Out Loud, Meadowlands Pace champion A Rocknroll Dance and 2011 Dan Patch winner Sweet Lou, will compete in Saturday’s eliminations for the $600,000 Delvin Miller Adios at the Meadows.
Wednesday’s draw produced a powerful field that will be split into two divisions of nine which have been carded as Race 4 and Race 6 on Saturday’s card. Approximate post time for Race 4 is 7:45 p.m. The top four finishers from each elimination will return Saturday, July 28, for the final of the 46th edition of the 'Pace for the Orchids.' First post for the Adios final card is 12:20 p.m.
The first division offers the potential for an amazing, action-packed speed duel, as Thinking Out Loud has drawn Post 9, A Rocknroll Dance will leave from Post 8, and Hurrikane Kingcole, who captured the Meadowlands Pace consolation in a sizzling 1:47.3, will line dup in Post 7. Dave Palone will pilot Sweet Lou from Post 4 in the star-studded first elim.
Trainers Ron Burke (Sweet Lou, Breakin The Law) and Bob McIntosh (Thinking Out Loud, Dapper Dude) have two Adios hopefuls apiece, while Brittany Farms is part owner of four Adios participants, necessitating a wagering entry in each elim. In Race 4, Escape The News and One Through Ten are coupled, while All Star Legend and Bettors Edge are paired as a Race 6 entry.
Along with Adios eliminations, Saturday’s card also features a pair of Pennsylvania Sires Stakes, each worth an estimated $300,000, for three-year-old pacing fillies and freshman colt and gelding pacers. The card gets underway at 6:55 p.m.
The Adios elimination fields with post positions, head numbers and tentative driver assignments appear below.
Elim 1
(Race 4)
(Post Position - Head Number - Horse - Listed Driver - Morning Line)
1 - 1 - Escape The News - David Miller - 10-1
2 - 2 - EZ Noah - Dave Palone - 8-1
3 - 3 - Special Forces - Dave Palone - 8-1
4 - 4 - Sweet Lou - Dave Palone - 3-1
5 - 5 - Bakin On The Beach - Jim Morrill Jr. - 6-1
6 - 1A - One Through Ten - Jim Morrill Jr. - 10-1
7 - 6 - Hurrikane Kingcole - Daniel Dube - 9-2
8 - 7 - A Rocknroll Dance - Yannick Gingras - 7-2
9 - 8 - Thinking Out Loud - Randy Waples - 10-1
Elim 2
(Race 6)
(Post Position - Head Number - Horse - Listed Driver - Morning Line)
1 - 2 - Bolt The Duer - Mark MacDonald - 7-2
2 - 3 - Star Recruit - Mike Wilder - 6-1
3 - 4 - McAttaboy - David Miller - 10-1
4 - 1 - All Star Legend - Jim Morrill Jr. - 5-2
5 - 5 - Breakin The Law - Dave Palone - 8-1
6 - 6 - Ezpass Hanover - Brian Zendt - 8-1
7 - 7 - Hillbilly Hanover - Ron Pierce - 10-1
8 - 8 - Dapper Dude - John Campbell - 9-2
9 - 1A - Bettors Edge - Jim Morrill Jr. - 5-2
(Meadows)