Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Palone Ranger Doing Well

June 19, 2006

Trainer Chris Ryder indicated that Palone Ranger, considered one of the top contenders for the $1 million Meadowlands Pace on July 15, is doing well after being sidelined with a heart ailment. He was brought to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center for treatment.

"On Monday I heard back from New Bolton,” Ryder said. “There's nothing really new. They had him on a heart monitor for 24 hours to see if there was anything further or anything else wrong with him. He had an extra heartbeat and it was caused by a virus, likely one he had three months ago in his throat. Often that can then travel, even a few months later, to your heart. But they just confirmed what we knew already. In about three weeks, we'll have him again on the heart monitor to see if there's any change or improvement. This is the kind of thing that can take three weeks or six months to heal up, depending on the individual. He's currently on medication and resting."

At two, Palone Ranger posted three wins and seven seconds in 14 starts and banked 385,757. This year he has two seconds in three starts for $15,712 and a career total of $401,469.

The three-year-old son of Western Ideal---Mercy Mercy Mercy is owned by Patricia Bolte and Arthur Pronti’s Four Friends Racing Stable LLC of Jersey City, New Jersey, and William Perretti’s Perretti Racing Stable LLC of Cream Ridge, New Jersey.

The colt’s last start was the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic on May 27 at the Meadowlands. He finished sixth in the final after a second in the prep race the prior week.

At two, he won a division of the Champlain at Mohawk in 1:51.3, his personal best, and was runner up in the finals of the $840,000 Metro at Mohawk and the $240,675 Matron at Dover Downs.