MEADOW LANDS, Pa. -- Horse trainers like to say they'd rather be lucky than good. Yesterday, Illinois-based Erv Miller, 2005 Trainer of the Year, was both when his lightly regarded Cactus Creek got the best drive and won the $300,000 final of the two-heat, $450,000 Adios Pace at the Meadows.

"We were very fortunate things opened up on the inside," Miller said by telephone. He watched on simulcast television from his home state as Mike Lachance brought the nearly 21-1 shot up the rail from seventh place to score a half-length victory over tiring front-runners. "It was the way to win."

He covered the mile in 1 minute, 50 2/5 seconds.

Cactus Creek's first major stakes victory -- Lachance's third in the Meadows' jewel race -- spoiled outstanding performances by the stables of Delaware-based George Teague and the Meadows' tandem of trainer Mickey Burke and driver Dave Palone. Teague finished 2-3 in the final with Western Ace and Total Truth respectively.

Burke and Palone, meanwhile, came within a nose of sweeping all three $50,000 elimination heats. Their Texas Shootout got nosed by Western Ace in the first elimination, but then they took the second and third with Sandro Hanover and True North Hanover respectively. The top three finishers in each of the elimination heats advanced to the final.

True North Hanover was fourth in the final; Texas Shootout was fifth; and favorite Sandro Hanover was sixth. Palone was on Sandro Hanover for the final.

"I thought I had a shot. We were going to have to overachieve and everything work out right, but it didn't," Palone said.

Early in the final for 3-year-old pacers, it was True North Hanover with Tony Hall who set the pace, followed by Total Truth with Ron Pierce. Then there was a big gap until the rest of the field. They remained 1-2 in single file until shortly before the home turn, when Feelin Friskie and Sandro Hanover went outside to make their bids. Lachance stayed inside and moved up to fourth, then rolled into the lightning lane for his final surge to victory.

"I liked my chances," Lachance said before leaving for a private flight to race last night at Tioga Downs in New York State. "When it opened up I had a ton of horse and the front end was giving out."

Cactus Creek won a total of $162,500 -- nearly tripling his prior earnings of $58,639. He paid $43.60 on a $2 win wager, $33.40 to place and $11.60 to show.

Western Ace paid $6.20 and $3.40 and Total Truth returned $4.60.

The eliminations were more exciting than the final. In the first, Brian Sears took Western Ace three-wide down the backstretch to challenge early leaders Eckstrom, who broke stride late, and Texas Shootout. Feelin Friskie, the 3-10 favorite, and John Campbell went four-wide down the home stretch to get the third and final qualifying spot for the final.

Then in the second elimination, Palone and Sandro Hanover went four-wide midway through the final turn and went on to win by two lengths, going away over 4-5 favorite Total Truth. Manhardt came on in the stretch to take the third qualifying spot.

In the last of the eliminations, Palone and True North Hanover were sitting third on the rail behind Cactus Creek and Perfect Union when they tipped out and went to the lead midway through the final turn. Cactus Creek and Perfect Union finished 2-3.

Adios notes

Burke set a world record yesterday by starting 37 horses at six racetracks across North America. ... Palone won two of the three $50,000 divisions of the Adioo Volo for 3-year-old filly pacers with Pilgrims Witchie and the Burke-trained Ideal Weather. HARNESS RACING