Al Papi, Odds on Mr. Mamba win Adios elimination races
Finding the winner’s circle in 2026 had been a challenge for 3-year-old pacer Al Papi.
Until Saturday in the second elimination race to set the field for the Grade 1 Delvin Miller $420,000 60th Adios Pace for the Orchids at The Meadows.
Post time is 11:30 a.m. The draw for post positions will be held Wednesday evening.
Establishing the second fastest mile of all time at the racetrack (1:47.2), Al Papi, winning for the first time in eight starts this season, stepped up from contender to serious candidate to become an Adios champion.
“He’s got high speed,” said Hall of Fame driver Yannick Gingras. “He’s been the bridesmaid quite a bit, finishing second in the Breeders Crown final last year. He had a tough trip in the Metro. It kind of did him in.
“What I like is his speed. He’s great gated. Now, we’ll get it, put all of that together and see if we can get him over the hump – maybe become one of the leaders in division. He’s been knocking at the door.”
North America Cup champion Odds On Mr Mamba and driver James MacDonald won the first elimination on the front-end in 1:49.3, rebuffing the efforts of filly Loua Dipa, who fell to fourth, but earned a spot in Saturday’s final.
Al Papi, one of five Burke Stable, Fredericktown, to advance to the Adios final Saturday, has now won five of 19 career starts and finished in the top three 16 times. He has career earnings of $727,885 and returned $3.80 to win as the 4-5 favorite. He keyed a $6 exacta and a $14 trifecta.
Al Papi’s 26.4 final quarter clinched a two-length victory. Melillo (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), who got shuffled from the pocket after Al Papi took the lead, was able to move out to get by the tiring No Waitlist before he dropped back in on the far turn, then finished second over Sweet Lovin Lou. Toast Of The Town (James MacDonald) was unable to keep up but did capture a berth in the final by finishing fourth.
Ron Burke, who will send out five horses in the final, sent out Al Papi for owners/breeders Burke Racing Stable LLC. of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby of Ocean Ridge, Florida, Larry Karr of Randolph, New Jersey, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. of Canonsburg.
“Yeah, he’s been getting better and he trained that way this week,” Burke said. “I wasn’t surprised that he was so good. I’m very happy with him. He seems to be coming into his own. I thought Melillo raced well. He got a little caught in behind the other horses.
“I think something wasn’t right with (Loua Dipa). We haven’t figured it out yet. She wasn’t horrible, but she didn’t race like herself. So, in the next day or two, I’ll figure it out and then we’ll go from there. Honestly, if Loua Dipa was not in his way, I think (Frantic Hanover) might have won that race.
I’m very happy with him, too.”
Odds On Mr Mamba after showing speed from post six, the supplemental entrant cleared filly Loua Dipa and Frantic Hanover before the :26.1 first quarter. From there, Odds On Mr Mamba was in control, going to the half in :54.4 and the three-quarters in 1:22.1 as Loua Dipa took the two-hole until Wrenn Jr. guided her to the outside on the final bend.
Odds On Mr Mamba finished in 1:49.3 with Frantic Hanover second and Treacherous Lou third. Another C Note was fifth and advanced to the final.
“He just raced awesome,” said trainer Melanie Wrenn, on Odds On Mr Mamba’s performance. “We were super pleased with him.”
Added her husband Peter Wrenn, who has driven Odds On Mr Mamba: “I was kind of glad to see him push out a little bit, see how he handled that. He’s been on the lead before; he broke the world record on the lead. That, to me, was not an issue. He hadn’t had a good race under him for a while, and I was real happy. He beat some really good horses.
That’s a damn good mare he beat.”
Odds On Mr Mamba has 11 wins and a third in13 career starts and has earned $764,305. He paid $3.20 to win as the 3-5 favorite. He led a $19 exacta and a $199.20 trifecta.
Down The Stretch
Melanie Wrenn will try to become the fourth female trainer to win The Adios joining Casie Coleman with McWicked (2014), Jessica Okusko with Dudes The Man (2015) and Nancy Takter with Cannibal (2023).
Burke takes five horses into the Adios final for a second consecutive year. In 1985, owner Lou Guida had a seven-horse entry.
The Adios, will be televised by CBS Sports Network, will feature John Rallis, Mark McKelvie, Meadow Twaddle – of The Meadows – and Gabe Pruitt.