50 years of Adios memories
Bolt The Duer won the 2012 Adios with a 147.4, the fastest mile ever on a five-eighths-mile track.
Delvin Miller
Joe Tuscano/Observer-Reporter
Dave Palone, the winningest driver in North America, has one Adios victory in 1999 with Washington VC. Over the weekend, he reached 20,000 victories.
MEADOW LANDS – Maybe it was Bolt The Duer upsetting the field with a North America record time of 1:47.2 in 2012.
Maybe it was Dave Palone’s first, and only, victory in the race when he drove Washington VC across first in 1999 or May June Character giving Mickey Burke his first win as an owner in 2007.
Maybe it was watching Romulus Hanover win the first one in 1967 or Albatross winning in a stake record time in 1971 or Barberry Spur becoming the first colt champion in 1986.
Whatever the memory, harness racing fans have been treated to some spectacular performances in the Delvin Miller Adios at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino.
And there could be more surprises in the 12th race of Saturday’s card for the 50th anniversary of this event.
Roger Huston, who has called more than 173,000 races in his hall of fame announcing career, has been at The Meadows since 1976 and his memories stretch far and deep. A statistical fanatic from Xenia, Ohio, who started out pursuing a teaching degree, Huston found his niche and nickname – The Voice – in harness racing.
Ask him who the most impressive driver in Adios history and the 73-year-old doesn’t hesitate.
“Come on. John Campbell won eight Adios races,” said Huston. “How can you say anybody is better than John Campbell? He’s not even in the race. There you see how times have changed. John Campbell won four straight Adios. No. 2? Dave Palone is second in money winning and has only won one Adios. Ron Pierce, how do you leave him out of it? Brian Sears is going to go into the hall of fame. We’ve always had the greatest drivers. To say who is second to John Campbell, I don’t know.”
While some great pacers have worn the orchid spread in the winner’s circle, one stands out to most, Niatross, considered the greatest standardbred horse in history.
“For personal reasons, I go back to Storm Damage in 1980,” said Huston. “That was the year of Niatross, who was winning everything and Storm Damage was finishing second. Niatross decided not to race in the Adios and Storm Damage shined with world record times in both heats. I knew the owners real well. All my memories are things like that.”
No Adios race is contested without the memory of Delvin Miller being resurrected. Not only was he responsible for building the track and establishing this race as one of the finest in the harness racing world, Miller also was a tremendous competitor. He won 2,442 races and earned purses of more than $11 million before his death at age 83 in 1996.
Miller never took himself too seriously, once riding in a reindeer race in Finland, and travelling to six continents to compete over nearly seven decades.
“Delvin went to all sports,” said Huston. “It wasn’t just harness racing. He knew everybody, whether it was a New York Yankee, Whitey Ford, who owned horses with Delvin. Country music’s Chet Atkins was a dear friend of Delvin Miller as was (saxophonist great) Boots Randolph. He’d bring them here for a party the night before the Adios at the old barn.”
Eddie Arcaro, a hall of fame jockey who rode two thoroughbreds to Triple crowns, was a frequent guest at the Adios and stayed in a place called “The Silo.”
“He had one of the silos built into an apartment,” Huston said. “Until you saw it, you thought he was in with the corn. But it was a full-fledged apartment.”
Other frequent guests included Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto, the longtime companion of The Lone Ranger in the television series of the late 1940s and ’50s.
“My biggest thrill with Delvin and celebrities was at an old Adios draw in the Adios room,” said Huston. “I had the opportunity to sit there and talk for one hour with Buffalo Bob Smith of Howdy Doody fame. You watched him when you were 5 or 6 and he had his outfit on that day. That was one of the biggest thrills of my life.”
Miller’s purchase of the horse named Adios also had an interesting storyline. During the auction process, the price for Adios hit $20,000.
“The auctioneer then said, ‘Give me 21′ and Delvin thought he meant $20,100,” Huston said. “So Delvin yelled out, ’21’ and the auctioneer gavel came down and he said, ‘Sold to Delvin Miller for $21,000.’ Delvin had to borrow $1,000 to even get the horse.”
Of the 579 foals sired by Adios over the years, more than 500 won races. His progeny earned more than $12 million in purses. Miller eventually sold Adios to Hanover Shoe Farm for $500,000, then purchased a one-third interest in him.
“It was the best investment he ever made,” Huston said.