Huntsville, Fear The Dragon installed as 7-5 Adios elimination favorites
July 19, 2017,by Evan Pattak, for The Meadows
Washington, PA — Huntsville and Fear The Dragon have been installed as 7-5 morning-line favorites to win their respective divisions in Saturday’s eliminations for the $450,000 Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids at The Meadows.
Each favorite is coming into the Adios in fine form. Huntsville captured the final of the Meadowlands Pace; Fear The Dragon wasn’t eligible for that stake, but he won the final of the Max Hempt in his most recent start.
The eliminations card begins at 1:05 p.m., with the elims set for approximately 3:45 p.m.
The Adios final July 29 anchors a blockbuster afternoon card that features six Grand Circuit stakes.
The fields for the Adios eliminations, in post position order with preliminary driving assignments, trainers and morning-line odds:
Adios Elimination 1, Race 9
1. Boogie Shuffle-Scott Zeron-Mark Harder-20/1
2. RJP-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-5/1
3. Highalator-Dave Palone-Jeffrey Long-10/1
4. Miso Fast-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke-5/2
5. Blood Line-Mark MacDonald-Jimmy Takter-4/1
6. Southwind Yukon-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke-20/1
7. Huntsville-Tim Tetrick-Ray Schnittker-7/5
Adios Elimination 2, Race 10
1. Western Hill-Doug McNair-Tony Alagna-5/1
2. Lawrencetown Beach-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-10/1
3. Fear The Dragon-David Miller-Brian Brown-7/5
4. Hurricane Beach-Daniel Dube-Luc Blais-20/1
5. Filibuster Hanover-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-5/2
6. Eddard Hanover-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke-20/1
7. Independent One-Matt Kakaley-John Butenschoen-4/1
- Huntsville, Fear The Dragon head field of 14 Adios hopefuls (Tuesday, July 18, 2017)
Meadowlands Pace winner Huntsville and North America Cup champion Fear The Dragon head a field of 14 into the 51st edition of the $450,000 Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids at The Meadows. Eliminations for the Adios, each carrying a $25,000 purse, are set for Saturday (July 22); they’ll go as races nine and 10 with an approximate post time of 3:45 p.m. The $400,000 Adios final the following Saturday afternoon anchors a blockbuster card that features six Grand Circuit stakes.
- Blais hopes for calmer ‘Hurricane’ in Adios elim (Wednesday, July 19, 2017)
Hurricane Beach’s career got off to a stormy start, but trainer Luc Blais’ forecast calls for better days ahead as the 3-year-old pacer continues to mature. A headstrong youngster, Hurricane Beach was gelded last year and has won three of six races this season. He heads to Saturday’s eliminations of the $450,000 Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids at The Meadows off a 9-1/4 length win in 1:51 at Harrah’s Philadelphia on July 9.
- Schnittker on Huntsville: ‘as good as he’s ever been’ (Thursday, July 20, 2017)
For the trainers of all Adios colts and geldings not named Huntsville, his conditioner, Ray Schnittker, offers a scary report on the status of his Dan Patch Award winner: “He’s probably as good as he’s ever been.”
- Alagna seeking back-to-back Adios orchids (Friday, July 21, 2017)
In the first 50 years of the Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids, only four trainers have gone back to back. Stanley Dancer (1970-71) and Joe O’Brien (1975-76) won consecutive orchids. Brett Pelling did it twice (1995-96, 2004-05) while Billy Haughton won three straight (1967-69). Now, Tony Alagna can join them. The winner of last year’s Adios with Racing Hill, Alagna will send out Tom Hill’s homebred Western Hill in Saturday’s Adios eliminations at The Meadows.