Post positions have been drawn for Saturday’s $400,000 final of the 50th edition of the Delvin Miller Adios ‘Pace for the Orchids’ at The Meadows.
Racing Hill, the 8-5 morning line favourite, will start from Post 4. Manhattan Beach, who along with Racing Hill captured an Adios elimination, will start from Post 3 and has been made the 3-1 third choice. For a concise recap of the elims, click here.
As elimination winners, the connections of Racing Hill and Manhattan Beach earned the right to select their post positions (the connections of Racing Hill won the right to make the first selection). The other seven post positions were drawn randomly on Tuesday (July 26).
Tony Alagna, trainer of Racing Hill, saw his second horse in the final, American Passport, draw Post 6. Ron Burke, who conditions five of the nine Adios finalists, got a mixed bag, as his starters, in totality, drew Posts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9.
“You hate to get eight and nine,” he said, “but we’re pretty spread out. We’ll go from there.”
Burke said he chose Post 3 rather than Post 5 — the ‘winningest’ post position at The Meadows — for Manhattan Beach because he wanted to be inside Racing Hill.
“Manhattan Beach can leave the gate well,” he said. “I don’t mind sitting behind Racing Hill, but I don’t want to see him with an easy lead.”
The Adios anchors a power-packed card that features five other Grand Circuit stakes. The Adios has been carded as Race 12 and carries an approximate post time of 4 p.m. Saturday’s program will get underway at noon.
The Adios field, with trainers, preliminary driver assignments and morning line odds, appears below.
$400,000 Delvin Miller Adios
(PP – Horse – Trainer – Listed Driver – Morning Line Odds)
1 – More Dragon – Ron Burke – Tim Tetrick – 15-1
2 – Another Daily Copy – Nicholas DeVita – Tony Hall – 10-1
3 – Manhattan Beach – Ron Burke – Matt Kakaley – 3-1
4 – Racing Hill – Tony Alagna – Brett Miller – 8-5
5 – Check Six – Ron Burke – Yannick Gingras – 5-2
6 – American Passport – Tony Alagna – Scott Zeron – 8-1
7 – Lyons Snyder – Mark Silva – David Miller – 5-1
8 – Fernando Hanover – Ron Burke – Tim Tetrick – 10-1
9 – Big Top Hanover – Ron Burke – Yannick Gingras – 15-1
(With files from The Meadows)