Adios looks like 2-horse showdown, but ,,,
Favorites It’s My Show and Cannibal look like safe bets to be battling it out to win the 57th Adios Pace Saturday afternoon at The Meadows.
Anyone who has watched or followed the history of Delvin Miller’s brainchild Pace for the Orchids knows there are no sure things in The Meadows’ signature race.
That is according to the winningest Adios driver of all time, John Campbell. He has the most driving wins in the annual Pace for the Orchids with eight.
“I had some really good horses there,” Campbell said. “And I had a couple unexpected winners. One took an accident with a lot of horses involved to win one of them (Miles McCool in 1993).”
It’s My Show was established Wednesday as the morning line favorite at 9-5 for the 2023 championship. Cannibal is the second choice at 5-2. It’s My Show chose post position No. 3 after Cannibal chose post position No. 4.
The remainder of the post positions – chosen by random draw – include: No. 1 Flite Craft (20-1), No. 2 Ervin Hanover (8-1), No. 5 Redwood Hanover (7-1), No. 6 Bamboozler (20-1), No. 7 Seven Colors (20-1), No. 8 Ken Hanover (6-1) and No. 9 Fulton (15-1).
Flite Craft will be driven by Mike Wilder and is trained by Norm Parker. Ervin Hanover will be driven by Ronnie Wrenn Jr. and is trained by Ron Burke. Seven Coors will be driven by Dave Palone and is trained by Brian Brown. Those are the local connections in the race.
Wilder and Palone have Adios driving wins and Burke has two training wins and was part of a third.
The great Nihalator (1985) Triple Crown winner Blissful Hall (1999) world-record setting Riyadh (1993) and Artsplace (1991) were surprisingly felled in The Adios.
Nihalator was defeated in a division of the Adios, Blissful Hall was upended by Washington VC and driver Dave Palone, Riyadh lost to Campbell and Miles McCool and Artsplace, a winner of a division, saw the result flipped in the final by Precious Bunny.
Palone acknowledges everything doesn’t always go as planned and sometimes a driver and horse seize opportunities.
“When I won with Washington VC, I didn’t know until Tuesday of that week anything about the horse,” Palone said. “That was back when there was an open draw and Blissful Hall drew the No. 8 post.
“That was one of the biggest upsets of all time. It was almost the perfect storm. I decided to race (Washington VC) like a closer and to make one big run at it. It worked. You just want to get somewhere close.”
Campbell said a reason for the sometimes-unpredictable finishes or outcomes in The Adios is about the track itself.
“A 5/8-mile track can be tricky,” Campbell explained. “Especially at The Meadows. You must be careful not to use your horse up too early. Strategy is important at The Meadows. On that track, sometimes it is tough for horses to finish. You must be careful.”
Scott Zeron, driver of It’s My Show, said he won’t be influenced by the history of the race. His aim is to get the gelding into a good position to win his eighth race in eight starts this year.
“Past performances in The Adios won’t change how I drive my horse,” said Zeron, who nearly pulled off a stunning victory in the 2020 Adios with 50-1 shot Chief Mate, just narrowly unable to overtake Catch The Fire and Wilder at the wire.
They guarantee it
Hollywood Casino at The Meadows will offer a record $170,000 in guaranteed wagering pools during The Adios card.
The guaranteed pools will include:
- Race 3 – $5,000 Pick5
- Race 5 – $10,000 Pick4
- Race 6 – $15,000 Trifecta
- Race 8 – $15,000 Adios Pick8
- Race 9 – $10,000 Pick4
- Race 10 – $15,000 Trifecta
- Race 11 – $10,000 Adios Pick5
- Race 13 – $15,000 Adios Pick4
- Race 14 – $15,000 Trifecta
- Race 15 (The Adios) – $40,000 Trifecta, $20,000 Superfecta
“This is the highest offering we’ve ever had in terms of guaranteed pools,” said Scott Lishia, director of racing. “We are expecting a very strong card full of stake races and we want to give players extra incentive to study our program that day.”
The pools are in conjunction with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program and the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association, according to The Meadows.