by Evan Pattak for The Meadows

MEADOW LANDS, PA, Aug. 13, 2004—Durgin Hanover trotted right through a track bias that was murder on front-end speed, scoring wire to wire in 1:58 in the fastest division of the $79,737 Arden Downs stake for 3-year-old colts and geldings Friday at The Meadows. Dream Photo Kosmos and Lews Clues captured the other two splits. The stake, known as The James Manderino, was part of Adios Week at The Meadows, five consecutive days of Grand Circuit racing highlighted by the $500,500 Coors Delvin Miller Adios for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers set for Saturday. A record field of 27 will contest The Adios.

Intermittent drizzle made the track heavy and tiring throughout the card. No horse was able to carry early speed all the way home save for Durgin Hanover, a gelded son of Lindy Lane, and trainer/driver Rodney Bolon wasn’t necessarily thrilled with his position on the point.

“I was worried about it all day because the front end wasn’t that great,” Bolon said. “If I did get there, I wanted to get there as cheaply as I could.”

Bolon got what he wanted in a second quarter of 32 seconds, a breather that kept the winner fresh for the gallant first-over challenge of Budlightning.

“That really relaxed him,” Bolon said. “When Budlightning came up the back side, my horse really wanted to race him.”

Budlightning was 1-1/2 lengths back at the wire, with Shaggy in third. Bolon, his wife Sally and James Snyder own Durgin Hanover.

Dream Photo Kosmos turned in the most dramatic win of the stake, bobbling at the start, dropping seven lengths behind the leader Follow Me Tofrance, then sizzling the last half in approximately 56 seconds to win by four and three-quarter lengths in 1:58.1. Follow Me Tofrance saved place, with Real Credit in third.

“He hit the bike, and it scared him enough that he jumped two steps,” said Brian Zendt, who drove the gelded son of S J’s Photo for trainer Leslie Zendt and owner Frank Dettore. “Going into that last turn, he hit another gear. The way the race went, I thought he would get tired, but he kept on trotting.”

With the leaders wilting on the front end, Zendt noted that the early break by Dream Photo Kosmos may have been a blessing in disguise.

“He’s usually on the point—that’s probably where we were going to be tonight,” Zendt said. “Maybe that was a little bit of fate because everything on the point was stopping.”

The victory by Lews Clues kept him undefeated in three career starts—and it probably kept the gelding in the stable of trainer/driver Dan Ross a little while longer. Last week, the frustrated Ross dropped him in for a $10,000 price tag.

“About the first of May I was ready to give up on him,” Ross said. “He’s been a headache. As a 2-year-old, he trained down super to about 2:14. He looked like a good horse. Then he fell apart. I had a helluva time even getting him qualified. He won’t wear a tongue-tie, so he gets to roaring a little bit. It’s been one thing after another.”

In the Manderino, Lews Clues was three wide down the back side behind the cover of Genius and Doug Snyder.

“Doug’s horse wasn’t going on enough,” Ross said. “My horse was on the bit, so I couldn’t rest him. One thing about him—he keeps going.”

The son of Malabar Man kept on going, indeed, winning by 1-1/2 lengths over Rising Tower in 2:00.2. Field Trip finished third.

Matthew K. Bencic, originally a half owner, acquired sole possession for $5,200 when Lews Clues walked through the sales ring at Delaware, Ohio.

“The owner had a lot of faith in him,” Ross said. “I wouldn’t have held onto him that long.”

Three $51,734 divisions of the Adioo Volo

Ice Sculpture made it seven for nine this year with a sharp 1:52.4 victory in the first of three $51,734 divisions of the Adioo Volo for three-year-old filly pacers Friday evening at the Meadows. With David Miller in the bike, the daughter of Pennsylvania stallion Real Artist loomed up on the outside and took control in mid-stretch to win by a length and a quarter. Ice Sculpture [$5.80], trained by Jim Campbell, races for a homebred for Arlene and Jules Siegel of New Hope, Pennsylvania. She won in a lifetime best 1:52 in her prior start at Pocono Downs in PA Sires Stakes action as well.

“When I moved her to the outside, I had planned to just sit out there and float along,” said David Miller. “But she was gaining on them pretty good, so I let her go ahead and brush for the lead. I wasn’t worried about being first over with her. She’s a very game horse. That’s what I like best about her.”

“She was game last out too,” added Campbell. “In this year’s class of three-year-old pacing fillies, Rainbow Blue [16 for 17 this year] is much the best when she’s on her game. After her, it’s pretty wide open.” Campbell and Miller teamed up to finish second in each of the other two divisions as well.

Local favorite Artbitration, driven by Patrick Berry and owned by Thomas Klosky Jr. of Canonsburg and trainer Norm Parker of Houston, Pa., finished second, with Bottom Dealer third.

The Arden Downs for sophomore pacing fillies shared the spotlight with three divisions for three-year-old trotting colts as Grand Circuit Week continued at The Meadows.

Saturday, a record 27 sophomore pacing colts and geldings will go in the 38th edition of the $500,500 Coors Delvin Miller Adios. Two-year-old pacers will also share the stage with their Arden Downs divisions. First race post time for Saturday’s 15-race card is 12:40 p.m.

The Meadows’ leading driver Dave Palone captured the other two divisions, scoring with Armbro Bombay in 1:54.2 and Modern Hanover in 1:54.4. Armbro Bombay [$6.40], owned by Armstrong Bros. of Inglewood, Ontario and trained by Bob McIntosh, came from well off the pace to notch her second victory in seven starts this season. Her margin of victory was a length and a half.

“I had to take her off back the gate because she didn’t like being right behind the starter in the four hole,” said Palone. “She’s a bit of a nervous type. It ended up working out fine, though. I was sitting back watching people take pot-shots at each other. She dropped a knee-boot too, so I couldn’t move too aggressively with her. But when we came off the last turn, I knew she had it.”

Fie Foe Fire, trained by Campbell and driven by Miller, was second, with Princess Justice third.

In the final Adioo Volo division, Palone had to zig and zag in deep stretch, but Modern Hanover [$10.50] was up to the task and got out late to score by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.4. It was the third win in 12 starts this season for the Western Hanover daughter, who is owned by Norman Smiley of Boca Raton, Florida and Gerald Smiley of Montreal.

“This one is handy,” said Palone. “At one point, I had the chance to flip her three deep, but decided against it. That’s when luck came into it. I was following Brian and trying to figure which way he was going, so I could go the other. This filly over-reacted when he flipped his whip, and I almost lost her. But the good ones seem to find a way to overcome things like that, and she did.” Kerosene Artist was second, with Pantidepressant third.

Earlier in the card, veteran reinsman Richard Stillings survived a scary moment with only bumps and bruises. In the third race on the twilight card, a break by Kash Star on the final turn started a chain reaction and some serious bumping.

Stillings was knocked almost completely out of the bike of his mount, Durbin, who careered wildly to the left. The nine-year-old pacing mare veered toward the infield tote board and a car on display for Adios Week, with Stillings in tow. She did come to stop, thankfully, before colliding with anything.

“When that horse crossed over, it knocked me out of the bike,” said Stillings. “I was still holding on with my legs, and had a good hold on the lines. She was stopping – if she hadn’t been, I would have bailed if I had to.”

– Anne Doolin for The Meadows