David M. Palone (born February 26, 1962, in
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Waynesburg is a borough in and the county seat of Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States, located about south of Pittsburgh. Its population was 3,987 at the 2020 census.
The region around Waynesburg is underlaid with several layers of cok ...
) is an American
harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...
trainer and driver.
Palone became interested in harness racing after his father took him to watch the
Adios Pace in 1976. A year later he went to work for trainer Herman Hylkema. Palone won his first race in 1983.
Palone has collected the most wins in a year three times (1999, 2000, and 2004) and was voted
Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2009.
On September 22, 2005, Palone drove P Forty Seven to victory in the
Little Brown Jug. The Little Brown Jug is the second leg of the
Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers.
Palone was inducted into the
Harness Racing Hall of Fame on July 4, 2010.
Palone drove his 15,000th career winner on March 26, 2012, at
Meadows Racetrack. Before Palone, only
Hervé Filion had reached that harness racing milestone.
On July 5, 2012, Palone set a new North American record for wins when he drove Herculotte Hanover to the winner's circle for his 15,181st career victory.
In January 2014, Palone was named
Harness Tracks of America Driver of the Year for 2013.
On Friday, November 14, 2014, Palone set the world record for wins when he drove Missy Tap Tina to the winner's circle for his 16,754th career victory.
On June 25, 2022, Palone reached another milestone, becoming the first harness racer to reach 20,000 career wins after his victory in the fourth race at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows.
Dave Palone gets 20,000th win
/ref>
References
External links
United States Trotting Association Dave Palone Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palone, Dave
1962 births
Living people
American harness racing drivers
United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees
People from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
People from Washington, Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from Washington County, Pennsylvania