Cactus Creek upsets

Cactus Creek, a 20-1 longshot, gave driver Mike Lachance his biggest victory of the year when he rallied up the inside to win the $300,000 Delvin Miller Adios final in 1:50.2 early Saturday evening at The Meadows. It was the third Adios score for Lachance.

The son of Artsplace, owned by Brittany Farms, Val D’or Farms and Stanley Friedman, qualified for the final with a second-place finish behind True North Hanover in the third elimination with John Campbell in the bike. When Campbell chose off to stick with New Jersey Classic winner Feelin Friskie in the final, Lachance picked up the drive.

Lachance kept Cactus Creek well back and covered up on the rail during the early going, which featured a strong second heat pace with fractions of :25.4, :53.4 and 1:21.4 set by True North Hanover, who started from the rail. Lachance steadily worked his way up, finding room to charge up the passing lane in the stretch. He won by a half length over Western Ace and Brian Sears, who were mounting the same kind of move on the outside, while Total Truth, who sat second before claiming the lead in the stretch, took third. True North Hanover, one of three horses in the final trained by the Mickey Burke Stable, held on for fourth.

“Cactus Creek needs a good trip,” said Erv Miller by phone from Springfield, Ill., where he raced 18 horses today. “He doesn’t take air very well. John gave him a good trip in the elim, and Mike gave him a perfect trip here. He gets brave that way.

Lachance won the Adios in 1996 with Electric Yankee and again in 1998 with Artist Stena.

“I was sitting seventh on the rail,” said Lachance. “Then things started to open up on the inside. I had a ton of horse and I knew those on the front end had had enough. I never left the rail.”

Cactus Creek boosted his lifetime earnings to $221,139 with the Adios victory.

Miller said the Jug Preview at Scioto Downs and the Little Brown Jug were possibilities for Cactus Creek in upcoming weeks.

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