Blog

Imagine Ryan Howard hitting 50 home runs for 10 years straight. Or Ben Roethlisberger passing for over 4,000 yards every year for a decade (and winning The Super Bowl nearly every year). Or how about Roy Halliday pitching 10 perfect games every season.

Ok, you get the idea. That’s how amazing Dave Palone’s record is. Dave Palone, without a doubt Pennsylvania’s most under-rated, under-appreciated – heck, under the radar – sports hero, has quietly, with nothing but grace and class, reached the virtual pinnacle of sports achievement. Dave’s won more than 500 races a  year for the past 22 years.

On March 27^th, at his hometown track, The Meadows, he won his 15,000^th race. Take a look at that number; it’s not a typo. Now take a breath and say it aloud: “Dave Palone has won fifteen-thousand races.” He did it driving an 11-year old gelding by the name of Boos Boy to a decisive victory in the 10^th Race at The Meadows. (Watch here as our favorite announcer, Roger Huston – who has called more than 150,000 races – calls this one home.)

Only one other harness-racing driver has ever won more races, and that’s Herve Filion, “The Frenchman.” Largely retired from the track, Filion’s record is 15,180 wins. Given Dave Palone’s remarkable productivity, he should reach that number sometime this summer. Best to keep an eye on what’s happening at The Meadows and get out there to see Dave go.

With a noble generosity, Herve Filion was there at The Meadows when Dave Palone came across the finish line first for the 15,000^th time.  In tribute, Dave came to the winner’s circle standing in the sulky, a trademark of “The Frenchman’s,’ and a real crowd pleaser.

So what’s next for Dave? Once he’s past Filion’s record, he’ll have the German driver Heinz Wewering in his sites. Wewering’s victories total more than 16,000 as of this blogging. (But of course, we all know the Germans run their horses in the wrong direction. See what we mean?) We figure it’s another three years or so until our own Dave Palone is Numbero Uno on all of Planet Earth. Would that make him the most successful athlete in all of humankind? Sounds hyperbolic, doesn’t it. But it just might be the truth.

Go Dave, go!

On Monday, the intrepid TrackPackPA crew took a trip up to Harrisburg to visit the Standardbred sales. After devouring some delicious burgers at Jackson House, we headed over to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex- a site to see in itself. You couldn’t even tell where the thing ended, it just went on into the mountains.

Upon entering, perused some of the horse swag they had for sale. Sulkies, rider outfits,and every accessory you could imagine. They even had horse jewelry. Not jewelry for your horse, but, like, necklaces with horses on 'em. It’s pretty obvious that Hanover is king when it comes to Standardbreds. Their orange-and-blue regalia covered a good percentage of the enormous complex.

Little stations were set up, filled with folks staring intently into screens. They were observing a horse’s prerecorded gait and pace: 

We picked up some Black Books, which are the thick catalogs filled with meticulous stats for the hundreds of horses for sale during the week. Our guide walked us around the backside of the compound, allowing us some face time with many of the potential superstars. It was funny walking around and saying "excuse me" to a horse. We rubbed many-a-noses.

We took a seat in the stands just in time for the bidding of Some of the Beach, who was rumored to bring in big bucks (even just as a yearling). There were some pretty good auctions up to this point, but nothing quite like this. The ticker couldn’t keep up with the bids. The air was sucked out of the room. No one wanted to accidentally place a bid and owe a couple hundred thousand. After a prolonged silence, the gavel came down at $430,000. Everyone cheered with a mixture of relief and elation.

The guys getting pat on their backs were the Cancelliere brothers, natives of our border state New Jersey. Turns out these guys were looking to put together a horse farm dream-team. Take a look at the video of their record-setting bid for Detour Hanover- full brother of 2008 Horse of the Year Somebeachsomewhere.

$825,000- shattering the previous Standardbred yearling record sale of $650k.

The Standardbred Sale runs till Saturday at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with any more record-setting sales!

Oh, and make sure to enter in our Racetrip Giveaway while there's still time!
 

We headed down to the Meadows and snapped off some great pics of the Pennsylvania Fair Finals! Great times and Great races all around!

All photos by the great, Ryan Zidek. 

[Pictured is the Copper Mug at Harrah's Chester, a no-sport-discriminating sports bar.]

We are in the thick of the most dramatic of sports seasons. With Red October right around the corner, the Phillies making it to the playoffs for the fifth year in a row, and football and hockey seasons starting up, many sports fans I know are stationing themselves in barstools and living-room Lay-Z-Boys to cheer on their autumnal heroes.

Unfortunately, I am not one of these people. Thanks to a youth full of embarrassing sports moments including always getting picked last for kick-ball on the playground and scoring a goal against my own soccer team, I have been permanently turned off to most team sports. Well honestly, if Jayson Werth were still with the Phillies, I’d be a more faithful fan. I have a thing for bearded men.

This autumn and winter, you may want to make it a point to discover another awesome sport that too many people in my generation have been missing out on. Best of all, you get to round up the gang and head down to the track for a great day of racing. “But why?” you ask. “Why should I leave my living room during a seven hour baseball game to go and enjoy some fresh air and interaction with real live people?” I’ll tell you why. TrackPackPA robot, BEGIN THE COUNTDOWN:

1.) You will always get fabulous seats
There’s always an open seat by the finish line, and you don’t need a ticket. Autumn is the perfect time to head down to the track with a group of your buddies, buy a round of pints, and sit outside to enjoy the cool air while betting on ponies. Along the Delaware River, outside Chester, Harrah’s stadium seating allows you to have a clear picture of the track as well as the picturesque river view just on the backside of the track. You’ll get to enjoy big, bold and beautiful horses racing each other while pulling their crazy drivers behind in teeny-tiny little carts. Neat, huh?

(SkyBox Sports Bar at Penn National)

2.) There’s the money to take home
Everybody loves winning. There’s something about it that caters to the five-year-old in all of us who more than anything just wanted to throw that ball into the bucket so that they could win a gold fish at the local fair. If you go to the track and place smart bets on the horses, you could win some money. Or just lucky bets. I mean, if I can win, anybody can. This will give you the chance to spend even more money at the bar and tip that really cute bartender you’ve been eyeing up all afternoon. (And as the song says, when one of us wins, we all win. When your horse comes in, you might wanna buy a round for your pals.)

(Chicki and Pete's at Parx)

3.) Ok, ok. You can still watch the game at the track
Don’t want to miss any of the action of your favorite Philly team while you’re at the track? Not a problem! The ractrack bars have plenty of TVs. And at Harrah’s, their sports bar features flat-screens a plenty; all the games you need to follow in beautiful high-def. And between innings – or fumbles, as the case may be – you can tear yourself away from the reality TV to the reality reality that’s going on outside. At the track, the sports bars have real sports just outside along the rail. You won’t miss a bet, or a Cliff Lee homerun.

4.) At the very least, it’s good bonding experience.
When you go to the races, not only do you have a chance to witness thundering steeds and win money, you also get to reconnect with your friends. There are plenty of outside tables that you guys can at sit at and enjoy some yummy food and brewskies. Just be sure not to Bogart that pitcher, dude.

Stephanie Weaver is a TrackPackPA field correspondent, and political leader for P.W.D.R.C.A.S (Philadelphians Who Don’t Really Care About Sports). Make sure to check out some of her past excursions to the track, they’re fun!

The Adios this year will surely go down as one of the best. Relive all the action with our sweet new slideshow feature! 

Photographer: Ryan Zidek

Back in June, I went to jolly old England for two weeks to visit a good friend. While waiting for a train at the grand Victoria Station, I saw many Londoners dressed to the nines in exquisite suits, flowing dresses and large, colorful hats. They looked like they had just left the royal wedding. When I asked my friend, Karl, about their outfits, he told me matter-of-factly that it was clear they were returning from the racetracks. In England, going to the track is just another excuse to get dolled up.

Last week, Karl came to Philadelphia, so like any good friend, I took him down to the track in Chester for his first ever experience with harness racing. (Americans are far more casual, so we left the silk suits back in the closet.) When we got to Harrah's, and walked out onto the grandstand, with the amazing view of the racing oval, and the rolling Delaware River directly behind it, his eyes immediately lit up like a kid's in a candy store.

 


“In the UK, the racetrack is just a track. Here, the emphasis is on the fun,” said Karl. “It feels more like a sports bar with a track connected to it than just a simple racetrack.”

I had explained to him about the concept of harness racing, and he looked completely baffled. In England, there are horse races that involve the animals jumping over either hurdles or fences. This is called National Hunt racing, and is similar to American steeplechases. Karl knew about National Hunt racing, but didn’t know anything about harness racing.

 Karl, Carey, Holly enjoying the scene 

With program in hand, I explained how the odds system worked over here and Karl decided to bet on two horses in two different races. He wasn’t familiar with the touch screen betting system, so he asked one of the seasoned paramutuel clerks for help. (Who needs touch-screen when there are really good humans there?) After our bets were placed, we took a seat down front and close to the rail. The first post time was upon us, and the horses were already lined up and trotting behind the moving starting gate. Once the gate lifted, the horses took off. Karl had bet on the number two horse to show. That's a pretty easy first bet, and it means if the horse finishes either first, second or third, he wins some money.

Old Number Two kept a steady pace during the first three quarters of the race. And as he started to pick things up near the finish, Karl and I started feeling that unique goosebump excitement of a roarin' final stretch.


“Go baby, go! Dig in!” He suavely yelled in his proper British accent.

Number Two finished a strong second and Karl was grinning from ear to ear. “I have never seen harness racing before,” smiled Karl. “Nor a rolling start. The American tracks seem a lot more relaxed than the British ones. Over here, they just want people to have a good time.”

In the second race, Karl bet on the number seven horse, and predicted he'd finish second. (That's called a "place" bet, and you win if your horse comes in first or second.) Number Seven was a beautiful large bay named Unabating and he was wearing the cutest pink silks. (Karl didn't seem as impressed with the silks as was I.)


Yes, another exhilarating race, and when Unabating rolled across the finish line first, Karl had doubled his earnings. That was high-note enough for us, and we decided the appropriate thing to do with Karl's winnings was to invest most of them at the great sports bar overlooking the track.

“I learned a lot today,” said Karl, between sips of his winning lager. “And I also like how laid back American horseracing is. Look at me in my jeans and t-shirt!”

Stephanie Weaver is one of our loyal and intrepid TrackPackPA field correspondents. Peel your eye for her at Harrah’s Chester or Parx racetracks, as she's well known to frequent both in her never-ending quest to learn more about life at the track. She’s usually armed (with a drink) and dangerously funny. (And fellas, she's easy on the eye, too.)

Last year we took some video inside the starting gate, but this time around we sent track correspondent Gerard Angeli inside the mothership for a more personal take on things.

I, like many of us, live by the TrackPackPA credo: "It's post time somewhere!" And for me, post time was at 6:30PM Friday Night at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, PA! What better way to kick off my weekend than right from the starting gate (literally)? For two straight races, I was lucky enough to gain access into the starting gate car to see how every race at Pocono Downs starts. A few minutes before post time, I shuffled my way through the thick of the crowd to hitch my first ride onto Pocono Downs' starting gate car.

If you're new to horse racing, in particular harness racing, the mobile starting gate paces the horses before a race starts. The car then folds the gates towards the front and zooms out of the way as the race officially begins.

I arrived at the winners circle and was greeted by two men (the driver and the starting gate operator) crammed into a spaceship-esque Cadillac. Before entering, I was urged to watch my head stepping into the highly modified starting gate car. The inside is quite like a cockpit with controls for the gates and the cars other accessories the operator uses throughout the night. The only difference is that the cockpit is rear facing so the operator can see and communicate with the drivers prior posting the gate. This communication is important in case a driver is in the wrong starting position and can direct the drivers by loud speaker. I was tempted to ask where the 'hyper-speed' button was, but I held back.

After sitting in the swivel chair in the cockpit, I head up front to strike up a conversation with Bob Moran who is Pocono Downs' starter gate operator. Bob, who has been working for the past 8 years at Pocono Downs, still currently races horses in his free time down in Pompano Florida and has been involved with horse racing for the past 40 years. With a history involving four decades at and around the racetrack, I had one standing question for Bob Moran to answer. What was his best moment at the track as a driver/starting gate op. and what has changed in horse racing over the years?

Bob quickly responded that his favorite day as a starter gate operator was when Pocono Downs held the Breeder's Crown just last year in October of 2010. "It was the biggest day in harness racing" where the "best of the best" are brought in to compete for purses totaling in the range of "$7 million".

Bob and went on to discuss how much horse racing has changed throughout his long association with the sport. He seems to really have a passion for the sport of kings and the community that surrounds it. After all, who wouldn’t be pleased with one of the coolest jobs in horse racing?

Seeing the car from the grand stands has its own sentimental value to each of the crowd goers, but what I had experienced was once in a lifetime. For Bob, it was simply another day at work.

Check back in with us for more specials, events, and live harness racing at Pocono Downs!

Our local field correspondent Stephanie Weaver made her way down to Harrah's Chester- and was surpised with what she found...

Given the fact that I had only been to the track three times total in my 27 years on this earth, I just assumed that all races were run by Thoroughbreds. It had never occurred to me to even think about an entirely different genre of horse racing. But that’s exactly what I encountered upon my visit to Harrah’s Casino in Chester, PA.

Harrah’s is a beautiful facility and offers a great waterfront view behind their racetrack. The outside stadium seating and easy access to the bar and penny-slots all ranked high in my book. The first thing I did when I got there was head straight to the edge of the track. I was expecting the usual sleek, streamlined Thoroughbreds to be pacing around the mile-long track. Instead, I witnessed something entirely different, something that reminded me of gladiators racing around in golden chariots in the Coliseum of ancient Rome.

Out on the track were horses attached to little one-man carts. Despite being gorgeous in their own accord, these horses were no Thoroughbreds. They were much fuller, with thick flanks, deep chests, and shorter legs. I came to find out later that these were Standardbreds and that the races I was about to view were harness races.

The first race I watched consisted entirely of mares. The horses all donned bright silks and flashy neon carts, also known as sulkies. Instead of being loaded into a starting gate, the horses were driven behind a moving truck with a gate that held them in place until the start of the race. As soon as the gate lifted, the mares all took off in a brisk trot. The nine horses that were racing appeared to be synchronized dancers, all of their long legs going up and down, up and down together. 

It amazed me how fast theses horses could trot. A trot to me had always been that leisurely pace halfway between a walk and a canter. But these mares were really setting a blazing trail. In fact, a Standardbred has to be able to keep a quickly paced trot for over a mile to be considered for harness racing. 

It was later that I found out that the Standardbreds only trot at the beginning of the race. 80% to 90% of harness racing in America is conducted at a gate called a pace. Even though the two gates are similar, a horse moves its legs diagonally while trotting and laterally while pacing.

I wandered over to a man who looked as pleased as me about the outcome of the race. His name was Dennis and he had been coming to the track for over 40 years. He considers racing his hobby and passion and enjoys visiting Harrah’s:  

“Harness racing is a lot slower than the Thoroughbred racing,” Dennis said. “It’s easier for people to bet on them. And it helps you to modify your losses. If you bet only $2 on a race, and there are ten races, you can play all day. I say, just as long as my bar bill is covered, I’ve had a good day.”

At the end of the day, I came to the conclusion that I enjoyed both kinds of racing equally. It was interesting to experience an entirely different kind of racing and learn about the harness racing odds system. I also thoroughly enjoyed talking with the people who were in love with this sport. I came to find out that harness racing is a world of its own and one that I don’t want to stop exploring anytime soon.

For more events, specials, and first-class harness racing at Harrah's Chester, check back in with us! 

Adios week is the epitome of harness racing. 

It's storied traditions and festivities only grows in size with every passing year. Named after venerable driver Delvin Miller’s champion sire, The Adios has been the horseracing event since 1967! Be sure to check out the dioramas in the near the simulcasting section of the Meadows for a brief history lesson!

 We're guessing Adios was much bigger in person.

This year proves to be no less spectacular, with tons of events and specials lined up, it’s looking to be an exciting week. Festivities start tomorrow, so git yr gitty up!

Sautrday July 23, 2011 – 6:55PM Post
$150,000 Adios Eliminations (3 YO Pace)
Player Rewards Hat Giveaway! Keep that sun out of your eyes!

Monday July 25, 2011 – 12:55PM Post
$100,000 Judge McGraw (2 YO Fily Trot)
Casino Giveaway Day- including drawings for free Meadows Lanes Bowling, Terrance Café and Meadows Gift Shop Certificates!

Tuesday July 26, 2011 – 6:55PM Post
$70,000 Mandarino (3 YO Trot)
Player Rewards Appreciation Day - $2 Coupon for a Hot Dog, Program, or Wager Coupon (Remember: all it takes is $2 to win big)!

Wednesday July 27, 2011 – 6:55PM Post
$65,000 Ned McCarr (3 YO Filly Trot)
970 ESPN Radio Visits the Track! 4PM- 7PM! The venerable Roger Huston will be broadcasting LIVE on the Patio! Winner Circle Cash Giveaway and the Miler Beer Tent to keep you cool!

Thursday July 28, 2011 – 6:55PM Post
$65,000 Ned McCarr (3 YO Filly Trot)
Miss Adios Contest at 7:30PM (whistles), Winner Circle Cash Giveaway, and Miller Beer Tent to quench your thirst!

Friday July 29, 2011 – 6:55PM Post
$85,000 Ned McCarr (3 YO Filly Trot)
Hanover shoe Farm Horse Sale at 1:00PM, Catherine Baker Knoll Night, WJPA Radio live from the track from 5PM -7PM, Advanced Wagering for Adios, Prepare Blanket of Orchids in Racebook, Winner Circle Cash Giveaway, and the Miller Beer Tent!

And finally…

Saturday July 30, 2011 – 12:55 Post
$650,000 Adios Final (3 YO Pace)
$50,000 Adios Consolation (3 YO Pace)
$225,000 Patterson Adioo Volo (3 YO Pacers)
$125,000 Gov. Lawrence (2 YO Colt Pacers)
The big day has arrived! Adios 2011! Inaugural Adios Hat Contest! 970 ESPN radio from 12PM – 2PM with WJPA Radio taking over from 3:30PM – 5PM!
 

Be sure to check back in with us for all Meadows events, specials, and fantastic horse racing! 

What month is it? July?! That came outta nowhere! When did Easter happen? I gotta call my parents. Anyway-

July is the month to party. When July shows up everyone is like “Oh man, I was about to leave but July just got here. Can I crash on your couch?”

Luckily for us, the wonderful people at Pocono Downs know a thing or two about July and are catering the festivities with Friday Nights Under the Lights!

Live music kicks off at 6PM, giving you a half hour to groove the funk out before post time. At 6:30PM the live harness racing you know and love begins! From then on the band fills in between every race, providing for non-stop entertainment until the last horse crosses the finish line! Wash it all down with $1 Coors Light squat cans, $1 hot dogs, and $1 soda and waters! Here’s the lineup for the month of July:
 

July 1st – MiZ (duo) 
July 8th – The Traveling Wilkes Barreans (trio)
July 15th - Rick and John of Nowhere Slow (duo) 
July 22nd – Rob Brown and Hammer (duo)
July 29th – Kriki (trio)

Be sure to check back in with us for more music, events, and specials at Pocono Downs and the five other PA trackS!