Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Ron Pierce and Steve Elliott are no strangers to success when racing horses together. In fact, the driver-trainer combo of Pierce-Elliott is the only one in history to capture harness racing’s traditional million-dollar races — the Hambletonian, the North America Cup and the Meadowlands Pace.

Since 2005, Pierce and Elliott have won 16 races worth more than $200,000. Their most frequent successes came with Hambletonian winner Donato Hanover, Breeders Crown champion Burning Point, and, now, Meadowlands Pace and North America Cup conqueror Well Said.

On Saturday at The Meadows, Pierce and Elliott will look to add the $677,665 Delvin Miller Adios to Well Said’s growing list of accomplishments. Well Said has won six of seven races this year and earned $1.2 million.

“We’re always on the same page when it comes to horses,” Pierce said about driving for Elliott. “I know what he expects out of me. I know how Stevie likes his horses raced. Never has Stevie gotten on me about how I’ve driven a horse. He just takes it in stride. If I make a mistake, he knows we’re only human. But, if you think about it, we don’t get beat that often.”

Well Said cruised to a track-record 1:49 win in his Adios elimination on July 24, beating Keep It Real by two lengths. The world record for a 3-year-old pacer on a five-eighths-mile oval, such as The Meadows, is 1:48.2; a mark set in 2008 and shared by Shadow Play and Dali.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Ron Pierce and Steve Elliott, in the winner’s circle following Well Said‘s triumph in the Meadowlands Pace, have been a winning combination in stakes races in recent years.

“I never said a word to him,” Pierce said. “I just let him pace a little bit and he was well within himself. He buzzes around the track. He won easily without me even saying ‘giddyup.’ He could’ve gone in (1):47 last week, but why go so fast if you don’t have to? I want to race him all year and for him to be good all year.”

Also winning Adios elims were Mr Wiggles and If I Can Dream. An open draw for post positions will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday and shown live on the Meadows Racing Network.

“I’m not worried about the draw,” Pierce said. “I’d prefer not to have the one or two, or the eight or nine, but anywhere in the middle is fine. Even with the other spots, I wouldn’t be too worried. I know I’ve got the best horse. I’ve just got to make sure he has a chance to race.”

Well Said will attempt to become the first Meadowlands Pace winner to capture the Adios since David’s Pass in 1995. The only Meadowlands Pace winners to compete in the Adios since then were Dream Away in 1997 and Southwind Lynx in 2007. Prior to last year, the Adios eliminations and final were contested on the same day.

On July 18 at the Meadowlands, Well Said won the $1 million Meadowlands Pace by six lengths over Vintage Master in 1:47.3. In June, Well Said won the $1.3 million North America Cup at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario. He is the eighth horse in history to win both the North America Cup and Meadowlands Pace.

“He’s just wicked fast and he can carry the speed,” Pierce said. “I don’t know where his bottom is. He just goes fast. Period.

“Stevie is a great horseman; one of the best out there as far as I’m concerned. You’ve got to give Steve credit; if they’ve got it in them, he’ll get it out of them.”

Well Said is owned by Jeff Snyder and Lothlorien stable. Snyder has three Adios victories already, with Cam’s Card Shark in 1994, Million Dollar Cam in 2002 and Village Jolt in 2005.

The five horses that finished behind Well Said in the Meadowlands Pace also will appear in the Adios: Vintage Master, If I Can Dream, Chasin Racin, Schoolkids, and Ideal Danny. Keep It Real was the North America Cup third-place finisher. Mr Wiggles won the Hoosier Cup.

If I Can Dream, who earlier this year won the Art Rooney Pace at Yonkers Raceway, Schoolkids, and Straight Shooting are owned by Bulletproof Enterprises and trained by Tracy Brainard. George Teague, Jr. trains Chasin Racin and Mr Wiggles.