Palone on fire in Stallion Series championships

WASHINGTON, PA, Sept. 9, 2023  — On Friday (Sep. 8), Hollywood Casino at The Meadows hosted all eight Pennsylvania Stallion Series championships, each worth $40,000. As he’s done so many times in his Hall of Fame harness racing career, Dave Palone turned the event into a personal showcase, winning four titles and setting two stake records to boot.

Palone triumphed with 3-year-old colt pacer Flash Move (Heston Blue Chip-Flibbertigibbet), freshman filly trotter Sambuca Hanover (Bar Hopping-Snow Angel Hanover), freshman gelding trotter Executive Game  (Bar Hopping-Broadway Jo Ell), and 2-year-old filly pacer Miki In Luv (Always B Miki-Lover’s Dream).

Flash Move certainly looked capable of lowering the 1:50.3 stake mark established by Donttellmeagain in 2017, but when the gelding got away fifth, even Palone had his doubts.

“You’re never comfortable getting away like that because you never know if you’ll get a slow second quarter,” he said. “But I was able to make up most of the ground in that second quarter, and that was good for me.”

Flash Move poured it on to defeat Muskateer Hanover by 5-1/4 lengths, with Idiosyncratic third. Robert Cleary trains Flash Move and owns with Royal Wire Products.

Sambuca Hanover already owned the fastest lifetime mark in the field, so her 5-1/4-length dismissal of Norma Pearl was not unexpected. Mon Amie Martine earned show. Her time of 1:55 erased the 1:55.4 stake record set by Love Muffin in 2020.

“She was well within herself,” Palone said. “She was wrapped up, plugs still in. I knew it would take a pretty good filly to beat her.”

Nifty Norman conditions the filly for David McDuffee, Paul Bordonga and Melvin Hartman.

Executive Game had enjoyed a bit of double dipping. In his last five starts for trainer Jim Campbell and breeder/owner Runthetablestables, the gelding had won three straight stallion series splits, a PA Sires Stake leg and the $50,000 PASS Consolation.

He extended his streak by moving first up to down a stubborn Casanova Hall by 1/2 length in 1:56.3, to push his career bankroll to $115,640. Activation completed the ticket.

“He gave me the feeling that he would do whatever it took to win as long as I stayed out of his way,” Palone said. “I never really put him in high gear. He knew what he had to do.”

Miki In Luv’s victory was more workmanlike than dramatic. She let 3-5 favorite Fight Not Flight do the heavy lifting up front, then outkicked her from the pocket and defeated her by a length in a career-beat 1:53. Duffy’s Opinion rounded out the ticket.

“I wanted to follow, and it worked out that way,” Palone said. “But even in the pocket, she was telling me that she wanted to perform.”

Ron Coyne, Jr. trains the filly for Ron Coyne Stables, Blair Corbeil, Richard Carney and Farrell Carney.

In the other championships:

3-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot — Austral Hanover

The International Moni-Aspidistra Hanover gelding was competing under unusual circumstances. On Monday, one of Anthony MacDonald’s fractional ownership groups sold him to the partnership of Paul Kelly Racing Stable, Matt Lamont and Go For Glory Stable. Yet he still was handled Friday by MacDonald and trainer Tim Twaddle.

Austral Hanover let the humans figure out all that business stuff. He charged down the center of the track late and scored in 1:54.1, knocking a tick from the stake mark set by Overserved in 2020. Battin Athousand and Big Boy Ernest were second and third, respectively.

2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot — Hard To Catch

Hard To Catch (Sweet Lou-Stonebridge Damsel) swooped the field with a three-wide burst in the final turn and won in 1:53.1, 1-1/2 lengths ahead of Stay Frosty. Dream Bird finished third.

“I tried that same move with him two starts back. It worked out pretty good that night, too,” said Hunter Myers, who piloted the gelding for trainer Britney Dillon and owners Howard Taylor and William Hartt.

3-Year-Old Filly Trot — Tipsy Moni

Tipsy Moni  (International Moni), the 1-5 favorite, was under siege late by Lillehammer Hall. Could it be that a horse race had broken out?

“A little more than I thought it would,”acknowledged winning driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. “I think my filly was just waiting on them.”

Tipsy Moni ultimately held off Lillehammer Hall by 1/2 length in 1:55.1 to extend her lifetime bankroll to $152,170 for owner/trainer D.R. Ackerman. Cherokee Joy earned show.

3-Year-Old Filly Pace — Quick E, Racin Hungry, Dead Heat

Racin Hungry (Stay Hungry-Four Starzz Meliss) was rallying, Quick E (Sweet Lou-Southwind Tempo) was digging in for the challenge. When they hit the wire together, the photo couldn’t separate them, and they were declared dead-heat winners in 1:51.3, a tick off the stake mark.

Jim Pantaleano guided Quick E for trainer Brett Pelling and owners Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Bottom Line Racing LLC.

Matt Kakaley steered Racing Hungry for trainer Jennifer Bongiorno and owners Glenn Goller and Stephen Demeter.

Live racing at The Meadows continues Saturday when the program features a $357.84 carryover in the Early Pentafecta (race 4). First post is 12:45 PM.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Evan Pattak, for the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association