The Meadows: Odds On Mr Mamba ready to dance in $420,500 G1 Adios final

Saturday's Grade 1 $420,500 Delvin Miller Adios final at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows finds the odds against trainer Melanie Wrenn when it comes to numbers. Wrenn, who sends out Odds On Mr Mamba, faces a field of nine with the majority emanating from the Ron Burke stable.

"It would be tough if they had just three in the race, but they have five," said Wrenn of the numbers disadvantage she'll face, with the sport's leading trainer sending out five of the nine horses in the field.

On the positive side, Wrenn feels very good about the draw and even better about her own horse. "He came out of the elimination great," said Wrenn, who did not ship back to Indiana and instead stabled at a farm within shouting distance of The Meadows. "I'm glad James (driver MacDonald) was able to get a mile into him where he was able to race in front."

Wrenn had been more than happy with MacDonald's winning performances in both the North America Cup elimination and the final, even though the gelded son of Odds On Equuleus bore out in the stretch. In last Saturday's elimination race, Odds On Mr Mamba scored in 1:49 3/5, racing in front and pacing home in 27 2/5.

"We did some work on him after the North America Cup, and he's not bearing out anymore," said Wrenn.

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The second Adios elimination was won in near track-record time, with Al Papi coasting to a 1:47 2/5 career mark. The Ron Burke-trained colt sat neatly off a hot pace and then brushed sharply to the top, finishing his mile in 26 4/5. The mile was just a fifth shy of Al Papi's sire Papi Rob Hanover's clocking in an elimination for the Adios in 2020.

Wrenn was not very concerned with the discrepancy over the final time. Odds On Mr Mamba set the world record of 1:47 4/5 as a 2-year-old last year at Harrah's Hoosier Park.

"Not to discredit Al Papi," Wrenn said. "I think if my horse was in the same position he would have done the same thing."

The two elimination winners drew on Tuesday for their spots in the final.

"We got the first pick and James (MacDonald) wanted post three," said Wrenn.

Al Papi's connections picked post four, and following Wednesday's completion of the draw, Wrenn finds herself right in the middle of four of the Burke finalists, with Another C Note (post one) and Frantic Hanover (post two) to his inside and the filly Loua Dipa (post five) to his outside.

Despite the numerical imbalance in the field, Wrenn expects a fair shake when the race goes to post. "I think all of the drivers want to win the race," Wrenn said.

"My guys have a hard enough time making up strategy for one horse. They can't do five horses," joked Burke at the post-position press conference.

With four wins in five starts this year, Odds On Mr Mamba has shown that he belongs with the elite in the sophomore ranks. Racing exclusively in Indiana as a freshman, Odds On Mr Mamba, owned and bred by Dana Parham's Odds On Racing, won seven of his eight starts, with the lone defeat coming in his very first race when he was taken off-the-pace.

"I think he's a better horse coming from off-the-pace," Wrenn said "But he can do it either way."

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Of the Burke quintet, Frantic Hanover may be a horse to fear as the son of Stay Hungry finished sharply behind Odds On Mr Mamba in his elimination heat and may finally be trending in the right direction after a slow start to his sophomore season. Frantic Hanover was an exceptional 2-year-old on the Pennsylvania circuit, capturing the $300,000 final in September and then following that mile with a solid second behind Beau Jangles in the Grade 1 Metro final two weeks later.

Al Papi found the winner's circle for the first time in 2026 with last week's career-best effort. On the board in 10 of his 11 starts as a freshman, Al Papi returned this year with a series of rough trips that earned him money, notably seconds in the Meadowlands Pace and Messenger Stakes. He'll be looking for his first Grade 1 victory in the Adios with Yannick Gingras in the bike.

The filly Loua Dipa tried the boys for the first time in her elimination heat and didn't fire the same in the stretch as driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr. gave her a pocket trip and then tried to out-sprint Odds On Mr Mamba. The daughter of Sweet Lou struggled to pass and was passed herself, finishing fourth. Loua Dipa has shown high-speed leaving the gate and could be more assertive in the lucrative final.

"All of them came out [of the elimination] different. Would I say I was happiest with [Loua Dipa]? No. But we'll move forward and try to get her going," said Burke.

While the Burke-trained Melillo drew post nine on the outside of the field, he remains a solid factor. The rugged son of Sweet Lou was used hard through a 25 3/5 opener in the elimination and then closed sharply for second.

Sweet Lovin Lou got a bit winded trying to chase Al Papi in a 53 1/5 final-half, but the Daniel Lagace-trained colt shouldn't be counted out for finishing third. Sweet Lovin Lou drew post six with Scott Zeron listed to drive.

Treacherous Lou (post seven) and Toast Of The Town (post eight) will be longshots in the Adios that goes as the last of 16 races on The Meadows' program that starts at 11:30 A.M. (EDT).

A pair of fillies supplemented to the Grade 3 Mickey Burke Adioo Volo with the race split into two divisions. The connections of Miss Jum Jabber and Be Perfect BG ponied up $7,500 to race and each drew post six in the $64,052 divisions that go as races 14 and 15 on the program, whetting the appetite for the Adios.

Miss Jum Jabber was unraced as a freshman but has been brilliant in 2026, winning eight of her first nine races for trainer Brett Pelling, who also owns the daughter of Bettor's Wish. Miss Jum Jabber has won all three of her Pennsylvania Sire Stakes races to date and makes her first start in five weeks, coming off a 1:50 qualifier last Saturday (July 18) at the Meadowlands.

Be Perfect BG went undefeated in five starts as a freshman, racing exclusively in New Jersey for trainer Anthony Beaton. The daughter of Perfect Sting dominated again in the Garden State earlier this year and then ran into a buzzsaw in Loua Dipa. Be Perfect BG didn't back down and fought to the wire in a pair of epic trips, finishing second to Loua Dipa in both the Fan Hanover final and the Jerry Silverman Memorial. Be Perfect BG hopes to regain winning form with Dexter Dunn in the bike.

Adding more luster to the afternoon is a plethora of guaranteed wagers starting in Race 1 with a $5,000 Pick 5 and continuing through to the Adios, which ends a $10,000 Pick 5, $20,000 Pick 4 and $10,000 Pick 3 with a $3 minimum. In total the guarantees top the $100,000 mark.