by Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

The 40th edition of the Coors Delvin Miller Adios Pace, to be contested at The Meadows on Saturday, August 12, has attracted 21 colts or geldings for the multiple heat race.

The box closed this morning, with the draw scheduled for Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. on the outdoor deck at The Meadows. It will be broadcast live on the Meadows Racing Network (MRN). The Adios will go in three $50,000 eliminations of seven horses each – as races 10, 11 and 12. The top three finishers, who earn their post position for the final, will return for 15th race. The final is worth $300,000. The top three finishers will then draw for posts one, two and three. The first pill drawn from among the three winners will get post one and so on; winners do not select.

Artistic Fella, riding a ten race win streak after his victory in the Oliver Wendell Homes at The Meadowlands on August 5, will not be in the Adios. The colt is not eligible and no supplements are allowed. While the fans may miss him, trainers of three-year-old pacers will not. “It just gives us a chance to win, really,” said Richard Silverman, who assists with his father Jerry’s stable. The Silverman-trained Perfect Union was second to Artistic Fella in the Holmes on August 5 and has been runner-up to Artistic Fella on several other occasions.

“That horse [Artistic Fella] right now is just in a world of its own, everyone’s fighting for second,” noted Silverman. The horse [Perfect Union] was a very disappointing starting off and we had tremendous hopes for him, he was a very nice two year old, had a great winter. With his pedigree (The Panderosa – Grand Lady, 1:52.4, $235,571), his looks and gait, we were anticipating earlier what he’s doing now. So right now it’s no surprise, it was a disappointment earlier. His feet were bothering him. Mentally, for some reason, I don’t know, from the time he left Florida he was fine, but once he got off the truck (at Showplace farm in New Jersey) he just never really acted the same. He just didn’t put it all together until he got back from Canada (after a fourth place finish in the Burlington, a second in his North America Cup elimination and ninth in the North America Cup final).

“We had changed his shoes [to steel from aluminum] which might get changed before the Adios, believe it or not, we haven’t made that decision yet. It just seems taking the aluminum off and putting the steel on in Canada helped his feet. I just changed his program a little bit to try to help him mentally. I trained him a lot with other horses and let him beat up on them finishing and just tried to get his confidence back. He’s just really starting to come in to his own. I’m hoping that if everything goes OK and he stays healthy this week he should be very, very good going in to Saturday’s race.”

Silverman thinks Perfect Union will fare well with the Adios’ heat format and says he’s holding his weight. “Personally, I am always concerned about the heats, but he’s a big, strong colt and nothing really bothers him, I don’t perceive it being a real problem,” he concluded. “Since he’s been back [from Canada after the North America Cup on June 17], he has not left a morsel of food. He looks tremendous.”

The younger Silverman will be at The Adios with Perfect Union while father Jerry Silverman is based in Canada with seven horses.

The entrants for the Adios [in alphabetical order with named drivers] are:

Big Tim (Richard Stillings), Cactus Creek (George Brennan), Dave Panlone (Dave Palone), Eagle Real One (Rodney Bolon), Eckstrom (Yannick Gingras), Feelin Friskie (John Campbell), Gimmebackmybullets (Mike LaChance), Ivegotwhatuneed (Dave Palone) J K CU Later (Dave Palone), Keystone Eli (Yannick Gingras), Manhardt (George Brennan), Perfect Union (Dave Miller), Sand Gogh (Tony Hall), Sandro Hanover (Dave Palone), Southwind Jason (Mike Wilder), Texas Shootout (Dave Palone), Total Truth (Ron Pierce), True North Hanover (Dave Palone), Tyrant Hanover (TBA), Western Ace (Brian Sears), Western Guy (Dave Miller).

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.