by John Pawlak, marketing director, USTA

Columbus, OH — The $420,125 Coors Delvin Miller Adios, which will be raced this coming Saturday at the Meadows, will give handicappers their first opportunity to deal with same-day eliminations — and give fans and horsemen everywhere the chance to see the 3-year-old pacing picture further crystallize.

There will be two elimination heats, from which four horses will advance from each, and the winners will have the opportunity to select their post positions for the final — a new wrinkle in the Adios.

In the first elimination of eight horses, it will be hard to pass on Southwind Lynx, the winner of two $1 million races already this year, the Art Rooney and Meadowlands Pace, who will be escorted by the sport’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, for trainer George Teague, Jr. “Southwind” looked sharp on a dull surface at the Meadowlands this past Saturday, where he kicked home in :26.3 and won his Oliver Wendell Holmes split, and on those credentials is an obvious top choice.

Andy Miller will drive a Holmes runner-up, Kinetic Yankee, for last year’s winning Adios trainer, Erv Miller. The colt has been extremely consistent and speedy, and that should be good enough to finish in the runner-up position.

Sutter Hanover, the runner-up in the $1.4 million North America Cup, will have to overcome the outside post, number eight, and also has to overcome a bit of a slump in his form cycle, but should be able — on class alone — to advance to the final heat.

We think that Pardon You, who will be driven by John Campbell, will also advance, given the fact that he’s drawn the rail and likes the Meadows’ racing surface.

In the second elimination, Won The West seems to be the clear choice, given 11 wins in 17 starts this year, including several stakes victories. He lost a prep over the Meadows’ strip last week, by a scant nose, but we think that he will only improve off that effort. The one joker in the deck is the outside post for a horse who likes to set or closely prompt the pace. Still, he’s our top choice.

Watta Hotshot, who will be driven by Dave Palone, was the runner-up to Southwind Lynx last week and will be handled by the Meadows’ driving superstar, Dave Palone. He was scratched sick from an overnight on July 28, and thus has only raced once since July 14, but that race was a fine effort in the Holmes, in which he closed in :26.2.

Our third choice is Yankee Skyscaper, who hasn’t raced since July 14 and who drew post seven. Those two minuses should be offset by having driver George Brennan aboard, and by the fact that he is the richest and one of the speediest colts in the second split.

After the top three, it appears to be a scramble among those who will advance, but we’re giving the edge to Whats Up Now. He’ll start from post eight, but has Tim Tetrick as a driver and had a sharp effort, a second in a Pennsylvania Sires Stake at the Meadows last week.

All the above said, our handicapping is only one-half done; there is a second heat to figure out.

Given the fact that the elimination winners will select their posts, the winners we figured above will no doubt pick inside posts — thus making them even more obvious choices.

That said, Southwind Lynx seems — again — to be a clear choice to win the final Adios to be raced at the original “House that Delvin built.” We think that Won The West will follow him home in the Pace for the Orchids, and that Watta Hotshot will arrive at the wire third.

Note: The Coors Delvin Miller Adios is part of the 2007 USTA Cyber Circuit, meaning that video of both eliminations and the final will be posted online moments after the “official” sign goes up; to see video from previous Cyber Circuit races click here.