Huntsville and Fear The Dragon have been installed as 7-5 morning line favourites to win their respective Saturday, July 22 eliminations for the $450,000 Delvin Miller Pace for the Orchids at the Meadows.
The $25,000 eliminations have been carded as Races 9 and 10, with approximate respective post times of 3:45 p.m. and 4:05 p.m. The card will kick off with a 1:05 p.m. first-race post time. The $400,000 Adios final, which will take place the following Saturday afternoon (July 29), will anchor a blockbuster card that will feature six Grand Circuit stakes.
Huntsville (Somebeachsomewhere-Wild West Show) vaulted over $1.3 million in career earnings with his victory in last week’s final of the Meadowlands Pace. He’ll start from Post 7 in the first elim for Tim Tetrick and trainer Ray Schnittker, who owns with Ted Gewertz and Steven Arnold.
Fear The Dragon (Dragon Again-Armbro Cinnamon), who wasn’t eligible for the Meadowlands Pace, lifted his lifetime bankroll to $940,344 with his July 1 triumph in the $500,000 final of the Max Hempt. He has drawn Post 3 in the second elim for David Miller, trainer Brian Brown and owner Emerald Highlands Farm.
Huntsville, Fear The Dragon and Downbytheseaside have been the stars of the three-year-old pacing division thus far this season. Brown, who also trains Downbytheseaside, said he toyed with the idea of dropping Downbytheseaside into the Adios box, but decided the colt needed a breather after contesting the North America Cup, the Hempt and the Meadowlands Pace.
“The plan was always to skip one of the races,” Brown said. “If we’d entered him in the Adios, he would have raced seven out of eight straight weeks. That didn’t make sense.”
He said Downbytheseaside would enjoy about a month off before returning in the Carl Milstein at Northfield Park.
The Meadows-based Ron Burke, North America’s perennial leading trainer, will have a strong presence in the Adios with six horses. Leading the Burke contingent is Miso Fast, who defeated Fear The Dragon in a Hempt elimination before finishing fourth in the final.
The fields for the Adios eliminations, in post position order with preliminary driving assignments, trainers and morning-line odds, appear below.
Adios Elimination 1 (Race 9)
(Post – Horse –Listed Driver - Trainer - Morning Line Odds)
1. Boogie Shuffle – Scott Zeron – Mark Harder - 20-1
2. RJP – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke - 5-1
3. Highalator – Dave Palone – Jeffrey Long - 10-1
4. Miso Fast – Matt Kakaley – Ron Burke - 5-2
5. Blood Line – Mark MacDonald – Jimmy Takter - 4-1
6. Southwind Yukon – Matt Kakaley – Ron Burke - 20-1
7. Huntsville – Tim Tetrick – Ray Schnittker - 7-5
Adios Elimination 2 (Race 10)
(Post – Horse –Listed Driver - Trainer - Morning Line Odds)
1. Western Hill – Doug McNair – Tony Alagna - 5-1
2. Lawrencetown Beach – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke - 10-1
3. Fear The Dragon – David Miller – Brian Brown - 7-5
4. Hurricane Beach – Daniel Dube – Luc Blais - 20-1
5. Filibuster Hanover – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke - 5-2
6. Eddard Hanover – Matt Kakaley – Ron Burke - 20-1
7. Independent One – Matt Kakaley – John Butenschoen - 4-1
(With files from the Meadows)