Grand Circuit Action Galore On Adios Day At The Meadows
WASHINGTON, PA— Saturday’s card at The Meadows, which featured the $400,000 Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids and the $120,000 Quinton Patterson Adioo Volo, was rich with Grand Circuit stakes — six in all. Here are highlights from the other four Arden Downs stakes.
$40,000 James Manderino — 3-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trotters
Goes Down Smooth prevailed from post 8 with a two-move victory . . . and may have punched his ticket to the Hambletonian. Said winning driver Matt Kakaley:
“I think they want to give him a shot there, although I don’t know for sure, but he’ll be okay there,” Kakaley said. “He’ll hold his own. He’ll definitely step up on a bigger track.”
The Muscle Hill-Peach Martini gelding got away third, quarter-poled to the front and downed Mass Fortune K by 2 lengths in 1:54. The pocket-sitting Kate’s Massive earned show.
Ron Burke conditions Goes Down Smooth, who lifted his career earnings to $146,053, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala and James Martin.
$53,468 Ned McCarr — 3-Year-Old Filly Trotters
Nomo Volo eschewed a potential early seat and needed the opening three-eighths to reach the point. Nevertheless, she prevailed in 1:55.2 for trainer/driver Jeff Gregory, defeating Windy Corner by 2-3/4 lengths. Ladylilli was third.
“ I think the opening was big enough (to duck),” Gregory said. “But I wanted to ease her around the first turn and try and get to the front eventually. Last time I raced her here I left maybe a little too hard with her, and she made a break in the first turn. So I didn’t want to take a chance and do that again. She’s eligible to both Pennsylvania and Kentucky sires stakes, so we might try to race her in each.”
Jeff Gregory Inc. and Jesmeral Stable campaign Nomo Volo, who now boasts a lifetime bankroll of $154,834.
The other division went to Magical Beliefs, who quarter-poled to the front for David Miller and triumphed in 1:55.2. Early leader Keystone Abbey was second, a length back, with Southwind Storm third.
Linda Toscano trains the daughter of Cantab Hall-Frisky Magic, who extended her career earnings to $236,296, for Highland Green Farms, South Mountain Stables and R-and-I Farms.
$47,970 Mary Lib Miller — 2-year-old Filly Pacers
The Sweet Lou–One Ace Too Many filly Sweet Ace made her debut on the national scene an explosive one, taking her division in 1:50.4 – the fastest mile of the year by any 2-year-old, anywhere, on any size track, and a track record for her class at The Meadows.
Dexter Dunn tucked the filly in fourth early, as Shouldabeenatd and Dance Club took the top two spots in a 27 opener. Silver Tail got restless in the three-hole and came out off the first turn to go to the lead, stringing the field out in hot middle fractions of :54.3 and 1:22.3, with the rest of the field well behind the top quartet. Shouldabeenatd wheeled outside and went right past the pacesetter on the far turn, with the two directly behind her following that move, Sweet Ace swinging three-wide at headstretch. To the wire it was a battle between Shouldabeenatd and Sweet Ace, with the winner drawing clear late to win by 1-¾ lengths, with Dance Club third.
“”The trip worked out good,” Dunn said. “We had a live helmet to follow right into the straight. She has push-button speed, and she showed the speed she’s got.”
Sweet Ace came into the race off a PA Sire Stakes win seven days earlier, and now her future seems even brighter for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Lawrence Karr, Jason Melillo, and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby. Trainer Ron Burke, conditions the 1-2-3 finishers in this race.
The other section of the Mary Lib Miller saw the Artspeak-Apippin Hanover miss Aplomp Hanover lower her mark to 1:53.4, making a quarter-move for driver David Miller and going on to a 1-½ length victory over Keystone Eureka, with Sizzling third. Trainer Kevin Lare and owner Frank Chick, who are having a terrific year with their freshman pacing fillies, are the connections behind the winner of three straight races.
$63,000 Gov. David Lawrence — 2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pacers
Tim Tetrick, red-hot on the other side of Pennsylvania recently, had four wins on the Adios card, including two in the Gov. Lawrence, with the faster of his winners being the Somebeachsomewhere–Persistent colt Seeyou At Thebeach, who broke his maiden in 1:52.2. The pattern of this race was much like that of the Sweet Ace event, with the front pack of four well separated from the rest, and Seeyou At Thebeach
moving out behind cover at the three-quarters to go up after undefeated favorite Cattlewash, who got the top after a :27.4 quarter and recorded mid-splits of :56.4 and 1:24.3. Cattlewash carried his advantage almost to the wire, but Tetrick rallied the victorious Brian Brown trainee to get a head decision on the money for Country Club Acres, Joe Sbrocco, Richard Lombardo, and Chris Page.
Tetrick’s other victory in the day’s baby colt action was with the undefeated Adriano Hanover, who at 1-9 made a quarter-move to command and was never in doubt, winning by 2-¾ lengths in 1:53.1, missing his mark by a tick. The son of Western Hanover-A And G’sconfusion added a Grand Circuit triumph to his prior PASS win for trainer Jim King Jr. and owners Jo Ann Looney-King and Joseph Palermo III.
“At times, his potential seems unlimited,” Jim King said. “So far, he’s done everything asked of him — and with a lot of determination. When he gets in with his own kind and they put up a fight, we’ll see how he does than.”
The third division of the Gov. Lawrence went to the Captaintreacherous– Charisma Hanover colt Hey Run Me Over, who brushed to the backstretch lead and went on to be 3 lengths clear at the finish in 1:52.4 to take a new speed badge. Andrew McCarthy had the sulky assignment for trainer Rollie Mallar, who is also co-owner with Linwood Higgins and Patrick Leavitt.
