WASHINGTON, PA, July 26, 2016 — Racing Hill, the harness racing 8-5 morning line favorite, will leave from post 4 in Saturday's $400,000 final of the 50th edition of the Delvin Miller Pace for the Orchids at The Meadows. Manhattan Beach, who along with Racing Hill captured an Adios elimination, goes from post 3 and has been made the 3-1 third choice.
As elimination winners, the connections of Racing Hill and Manhattan Beach earned the right to select their post positions, with Racing Hill winning the shake for the first pick. The other seven post positions were drawn randomly Tuesday.
Tony Alagna, trainer of Racing Hill, saw his second horse in the final, American Passport, draw post 6. Ron Burke, who conditions five of the nine Adios finalists, got a mixed bag, drawing posts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9.
"You hate to get 8 and 9," he said, "but we're pretty spread out. We'll go from there."
Burke said he chose post 3 rather than post 5–the "winningest" post position at The Meadows–for Manhattan Beach because he wanted to be inside Racing Hill.
"Manhattan Beach can leave the gate well," he said. "I don't mind sitting behind Racing Hill, but I don't want to see him with an easy lead."
The Adios anchors a power-packed card that features five other Grand Circuit stakes. It goes as race 12 with an approximate post time of 4 PM. Saturday's program gets underway at noon.
The Adios field, with trainers, preliminary driver assignments and morning line odds:
- More Dragon Ron Burke
Tim Tetrick 15-1 - Another Daily Copy Nicholas DeVita Tony Hall 10-1
- Manhattan Beach Ron Burke
Matt Kakaley 3-1 - Racing Hill
Tony Alagna Brett Miller 8-5 - Check Six
Ron Burke Yannick Gingras 5-2 - American Passport Tony Alagna
Scott Zeron 8-1 - Lyons Snyder Mark Silva
David Miller 5-1 - Fernando Hanover Ron Burke
Tim Tetrick 10-1 - Big Top Hanover Ron Burke
Yannick Gingras 15-1
Kevin Decker