Adios to Adios? Statue is saved by MSOA, given new home at Meadows

The statue of the Adios, one of the greatest harness racing horses, that stood at the entrance of The Meadows Racetrack & Casino along Racetrack Road for decades is gone from its familiar spot.
It was almost gone for good.
Alas, the statue of Adios has a new owner and a new home at the racetrack.
The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association saved the day – ponying up (pun intended) – what is believed to be around $30,000 to purchase the statue and preserve its place on the grounds of the racetrack.
The statue of Adios was put in place Tuesday at its new home – the entrance to The Meadows’ backstretch, known to some as the guard station, next to the message board/welcome sign that the MSOA installed last year.
The statue depicts Adios, a pacer that was foaled in 1940 and not only had a tremendous career on the track, but also as a stallion after his retirement. The legendary Delvin Miller purchased Adios and brought him to stand at stud at his Meadow Lands Farm.
Miller purchased Adios for $21,000 and sold him to Horse Shoe Farms in 1955 for $500,000 – the richest sale price at that time for a Standardbred.
The horse’s success led Miller to build The Meadows, which opened in 1963. Miller named the track’s signature race – The Adios – after the great stallion.
The land and site where the Adios statue stood, since its dedication in 1967, is currently under construction as a Sheetz is being built on the property.
According to Kim Hankins, executive director of the MSOA, his organization learned about six weeks ago that the statue was property of Forest Properties, the group developing the land.
Hankins said when personnel from the racetrack came in with cranes and other equipment to move the statue, it was informed the statue no longer belonged to the casino and track.
Hankins said the particular parcel of land where a Sheetz is being built was sold by Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. in a transaction that took place when Cannery Casino and Hotel was leasing the casino and racetrack from GLPI.
GLPI has since leased the casino and racetrack to Pinnacle Entertainment and now to Penn National Gaming.
“We learned, that for whatever reason, (the statue of Adios) was not separated from the property in that transaction,” Hankins said. “The entire property (and what was on it) became property of Alan Sherwood (who represents Forest Properties).”
That is when the MSOA moved to save the statue of Adios.
“We approached (Penn National) with the cost and they told us their budgets were in place and they didn’t have the money to acquire the statue,” Hankins said.
“Our MSAO board felt it needed to get the statue back and make sure it stayed on the property, where it belongs. The board decided to purchase it and the casino agreed to provide everything that was needed to move the statue to a new spot.”
Hankins said he could not confirm a sale price to acquire the statue.
“It’s a private transaction,” he said.
Several sources familiar with happenings at the North Strabane Township harness racing track said the cost was about $30,000.
Those same sources, which wished to remain anonymous, said the original asking price for the statue from the land owner was $75,000.
Attempts to reach Alan Sherwood, GLPI and Sheetz, Inc. were not successful.
“The Adios statue has greeted horsemen and racing fans alike for more than 50 years,” said MSOA president Rich Gillock. “It’s part of our history. We did not want to see it go away, so we took the initiative to do something about it.”
After Adios’ passing in 1965, Miller commissioned equine artist, James Nelson Slick, to sculpt a life-size bronze statue of the stallion. The unveiling of the statue coincided with the first Adios Pace, Aug. 12, 1967. A smaller version of the sculpture is presented to the winner of the race every summer as the official Adios Pace trophy.
“We can’t thank Penn National enough for agreeing to take on the expense of moving the statue,” a MSOA press release stated. “It is an important part of the history of the track and is a daily reminder of why we’re all here, Delvin Miller and his famous stallion.”
“It was not an easy transaction,” Hankins said. “We wanted to save the statue and now it has a nice place to stand and continue to have a presence at the track.”
Slick sculpted the statue in Claysville. He worked on the statue out of a monument shop behind a funeral home. Slick, who passed away in 1979, was from California.
Ellen Harvey, daughter of Harness Racing Hall of Fame legend Harry Harvey and a semi-retired racing executive in her own right, said MSAO is to be commended for its action and making sure the statue remained on the grounds of the track.
“I was back there last fall for my high school reunion and it was like seeing an old friend,” Harvey said of the statue. “I saw the Adios statue during its creation in that old shop. I was 10-years-old when Adios died and as a young teenager I would go with dad to see the statue in progress. My father was monitoring it on Delvin’s behalf to ensure an accurate representation of Adios. It’s a wonderful memory of the horse. I’m glad he has a new stall.”