by Anne Doolin for the Meadows

Meadow Lands, PA – The 40th edition of the Coors Delvin Miller Adios Pace, to be contested at The Meadows on Saturday, August 12, was drawn this afternoon at the trackside Patio into three competitive $50,000 elimination races of seven three-year-old pacing colts and geldings. The Adios elims are carded as races 10, 11 and 12. The top three finishers, who earn their post position for the final, will return for the 15th race, worth $300,000, with an approximate post time of 6:10 p.m. First race post time for Adios Day is 1 p.m.

Driver Ron Pierce will seek his third consecutive Adios victory aboard millionaire Total Truth, who is favored in the second of the three elims from post five. Pierce captured last year’s “Pace for the Orchids” aboard Village Jolt, and the previous year with Timesareachanging.

Total Truth, trained by George Teague Jr. for Only Money Inc of Hartley, Delaware and Teague Inc. of Houston, Delaware, has racked up eight wins in 14 lifetime starts, including the $1.35 Million North America Cup Final at Woodbine and the $450,000 Hoosier Cup Final at Hoosier. The son of Jenna’s Beach Boy has faltered somewhat of late, fading to eighth in the Meadowlands Pace. This will be his first start back after that July 15 disappointment.

A certainty to draw plenty of local – as well as pari-mutuel – support in the same elim is Dave Panlone, named after The Meadows’ long-time leading driver, who is the colt’s regular pilot. A son of Pennsylvania sire The Panderosa, Dave Panlone has earned over a quarter million dollars in his career for owners James Stambaugh and Milton Leeman of Ohio. Jim Arledge Jr. trains. His driver, with purse earnings of $52 million, recently became just the fourth driver in history to surpass 11,000 victories.

Feelin’ Friskie, trained by Scott Bell for Nova Scotia owner Wayne Eric Whebby, is the choice in the first elim from post three. The son of Artiscape won the $500,000 SBOA New Jersey Classic at The Meadowlands in May, and was second behind Total Truth in the North America Cup in June. Harness racing’s all-time leading money-winning driver John Campbell, who won an unprecedented sixth Hambletonian just last Saturday, is named to drive.

Perfect Union, who will leave from post four with David Miller, leads the charge in the final elim. Another son of The Panderosa, the colt is owned by Marvin Rounick of Narberth, PA. Perfect Union has won two of eight this season, and took his mark of 1:49 in his Meadowlands Pace elimination. He was fourth in the $1 Meadowlands Pace Final, then second to Pace winner Artistic Fella in the Oliver Wendell Holmes on Saturday. [Artistic Fella was not nominated to the Adios].

Meadows-based Mickey Burke, currently leading all trainers in North America by money earned this year, will send out a virtual herd of hopefuls in J K CU Later, Ivegotwhatuneed, True North Hanover, Texas Shootout and Sandro Hanover.

Burke, who turns 70 on August 11, said three of his five children are handling much of the day-to-day business. “Somebody asked me the other day where I was racing next, and I told them I had no idea – I hadn’t checked with Ronnie to see where I was going,” he laughed. “He, Mickey Jr. and Michelle have been taking over more and more.”

Burke said he thought all five of his charges had a chance to make some money. “Sandro Hanover off the rail is going to be tough,” he said. “He backed up on us there a while back, and we found he had a serious ulcer problem. We’ve been treating him, and his last couple starts show it’s under control.

“True North Hanover got the three-hole, and he’s going to be real tough too,” he said. “Last week here, he pretty much man-handled them and won in 1:51. That’s a horse that’s been a shock. We thought he’d turn out to be a decent horse, but if anyone ever told me he’d end up maybe being my best shot at winning the Adios, I would have thought they were crazy.

“Texas Shootout is a nice horse. He’s probably a little bit behind the level of Sandro and True North, but he has a legitimate shot to get in the final, which is what you have to do,” he said. “J K CU Later is about equal to him. Ivgotwhatuneed is probably a step behind them, but we gave him some minor throat surgery a few weeks ago that seems to have helped him. He’s got a shot to get some money.”

The field for the 40th Adios:

First Adios Elimination [race 10 – approximate post time 4:05 p.m.]:
Post Horse Driver Odds

1 Eckstrom Yannick Gingras 8-1
2 Big Tim Richard Stillings 6-1
3 Feelin Friskie John Campbell 5-2
4 Texas Shootout Dave Palone 4-1
5 Western Ace Brian Sears 7-2
6 Sand Gogh Tony Hall 5-1
7 Southwind Jason Mike Wilder 8-1

Second Adios Elimination [race 11 – approximate post time 4:30 p.m.]:
Post Horse Driver Odds

1 Sandro Hanvoer Dave Palone 7-2
2 Manhardt George Brennan 6-1
3 Dave Panlone Dave Palone 5-1
4 Western Guy David Miller4-1
5 Total Truth Ron Pierce5-2
6 Eagle Real One Rod Bolon 8-1
7 J K CU Later Dave Palone 8-1

Third Adios Elimination [race 12 – approximate post time 4:55 p.m.]:
Post Horse Driver Odds

1 Tyrant Hanover Mike Wilder 8-1
2 Cactus Creek George Brennan 6-1
3 True North Hanover Dave Palone 4-1
4 Perfect Union David Miller 5-2
5 Keystone Eli Yannick Gingras7-2
6 Gimmebackmybullets Mike Lachance 5-1
7 Ivegotwhatuneed Dave Palone 8-1

Special events are planned all week in celebration of the Adios, with racing Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. Post time for Adios Day, Saturday, is 1 p.m. Further information is available online at www.themeadowsracing.com.