On Friday, Sept. 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 career, Dave Palone turned the event into a personal showcase, winning four titles and setting two stakes records to boot.
Palone triumphed with three-year-old colt pacer Flash Move (pictured above), freshman filly trotter Sambuca Hanover, two-year-old filly pacer Miki In Luv and freshman gelding trotter Executive Game.
Flash Move certainly looked capable of lowering the 1:50.3 stakes mark established by Donttellmeagain in 2017, but when the Heston Blue Chip-Flibbertigibbet 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 in 1:50 flat, 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 stakes record set by Love Muffin in 2020.
“She was well within herself,” said Palone. “She was wrapped up, plugs still in. I knew it would take a pretty good filly to beat her.”
Nifty Norman conditions the daughter of Bar Hopping-Snow Angel Hanover 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 Bar Hopping-Broadway Jo Ell gelding had won three straight stallion series splits, a PA Sires Stakes leg and the $50,000 PASS consolation.
He extended his streak by moving first-up to down a stubborn Casanova Hall by a half-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,” said Palone. “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 favourite Fight Not Flight do the heavy lifting up front, then out-kicked her from the pocket and defeated her by a length in a career-best 1:53. Duffys Opinion rounded out the ticket.
“I wanted to follow and it worked out that way,” said Palone. “But even in the pocket, she was telling me that she wanted to perform.”
Ron Coyne Jr. trains the daughter of Always B Miki-Lovers Dream for Ron Coyne Stables, Blair Corbeil, Richard Carney and Farrell Carney.
In the other championships:
Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot
Austral Hanover, a 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 stakes mark set by Overserved in 2020. Battin Athousand and Big Boy Ernest were second and third, respectively.
Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot
Hard To Catch 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 Sweet Lou-Stonebridge Damsel gelding for trainer Britney Dillon and owners Howard Taylor and William Hartt.
Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
Tipsy Moni, the 1-5 favourite, 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 a half-length in 1:55.1 to extend her lifetime bankroll to $152,170 for owner/trainer D.R. Ackerman. Cherokee Joy earned show.
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
Racin Hungry was rallying, Quick E 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 stakes mark.
Jim Pantaleano guided Quick E, a daughter of Sweet Lou-Southwind Tempo, for trainer Brett Pelling and owners Let It Ride Stables Inc., and Bottom Line Racing LLC.
Matt Kakaley steered Racing Hungry, a daughter of Stay Hungry-Four Starzz Meliss, for trainer Jennifer Bongiorno and owners Glenn Goller and Stephen Demeter.
Live harness racing at The Meadows continues on Saturday when the program features a $357.84 carryover in the Early Pentafecta (race four). First post is 12:45 p.m.
(With files from Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)