Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Palone Gets Career Victory 12,000

February 17, 2008

Dave Palone became the third driver in the history of North American horse racing to win 12,000 career races when he drove Maltese Artist to victory at the Isle Pompano Park on Saturday.

Palone, who turned 46 this past Wednesday, scored his 12,000th career win in the seventh race, a $30,000 division of the Isle of Capri Pacing Series, winning with Maltese Artist by one length, in 1:51.1, for the one mile race, over Special Report and Western Ace.

A native of Waynesburg, Pa., Palone is a regular driver at The Meadows, near Pittsburgh. He came to Florida just to compete Saturday in Pompano’s stakes.

“It’s such a good feeling to have won 12,000 races,” Palone said. “But you are only as good as the horses in front of you, and if you have great owners and trainers backing you up like I have had in my career.

“What a twist of fate that I got my 12,000th career win at Pompano Park,” Palone said. “I tried so hard to do it at my home track yesterday, but could not get it done.”

Only Herve Filion (15,174) and Catello Manzi (12,812) have more career wins than Palone, who is a four-time winner of the prestigious Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year Award. Palone has won $60,884,000 in purses with the horses he has driven. He won his first race in 1983, and has competed in 45,278 purse races over his career, an amazing 26.5 percent win rate over 25 years of driving.

Maltese Artist, a career winner of $1,940,000, is trained by Mickey Burke and owned by Sylvia Burke, John Howard and James Koran. He posted his sixth straight win on Saturday, and led from start to finish.

“The two guys in front of me (Filion and Cat Manzi) are legends, Hall of Fame types,” Palone said. “I'm tickled to death the way things are going. I'm tickled to death that I stayed at The Meadows and I'm still able to win races at my age. I feel I'm driving as well as I ever did.

“I'm a little more patient than I was before. The biggest factor is that I drive for the best outfits. It's not that I didn't earn it, but any driver will tell you that when you drive for the best, it gives you confidence behind the gate.”

Last year, Palone was sidelined for about seven weeks with a broken thighbone, suffered in a race mishap, an experience that he said helped him refocus.

“Maybe I was a little lackadaisical, a little ho-hum,” he said. “Now I realize you're one accident away from being out of business. I don't ever want to be complacent again. I come to the races prepared.”

Among the highlights of Palone's illustrious career are a victory in the 2005 Little Brown Jug, with P-Forty-Seven, and a triumph in the 1999 Delvin Miller Adios, The Meadows' signature race for 3-year-olds, with Washington VC.

Over the past several years, Palone has been more of a presence on the Grand Circuit, a trend he says will continue. He's also in the process of purchasing a farm in Houston, Pa., near The Meadows, so that his 12-year-old daughter Hannah and wife Bethann -- each participates in barrel jumping -- can stable and care for their horses at home.

“That's what I do on my days off, groom for them,” Palone said. “I bathe the horses and keep the water buckets full. Let me tell you, it's harder to do that than to drive 15 races on a card.”