Madows notebook: Palone wins another driving championship
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Another year, another season on top at The Meadows for Hall of Fame driver Dave Palone.
The veteran, who captured his world-record 21,000th win in 2024, earned a Meadows-driving best 381 wins and purses totaling $3,514,672.
Ronnie Wrenn Jr., who has pressed Palone the last few seasons, was second with 340 wins and purses of $3,307,571.
Rounding out the top 10 were Aaron Merriman (264 wins), Hunter Myers (192), Mike Wilder (141), Brady Brown (133), Jeremy Indoff (119). Anthony Macdonald (77), Jack Killeen (55) and Chris Lems (54).
As for the top five trainers, Hall of Fame Conditioner Ron Burke led the way with 193 victories and $2,747, 907 in purses. He was followed by Brandon Presto (121), Dirk Simpson (103), Tim Twaddle (92) and Michael Burke (64).
Roger that
Saturday will mark the beginning of renowned harness racing track announcer Roger Huston’s 66th year doing what he “likes best.”
Huston’s career started in May 1960 in Wilmington, Ohio.
“Uncle Don Huston, who began his career in 1953 at Lebanon Raceway, asked me to go with him that Sunday afternoon,” Huston wrote on Facebook.
“After the first race he paged me to the infield Judges Stand as he had to go to the bathroom,” wrote Huston. “He told me do the post parade and I will be back for the race. As the horses were going to the gate, I asked Bobby Williams what I should do. He responded: ‘Call the race as Don won’t be back.’
That was the first of 184,029 races for Roger Huston.
He owns it
Ron Burke and Weaver Bruscemi, without partners, were the top stable in North American harness racing in 2024, with more than $5.6 million in earnings as the season ended with 391 victories and 16, $1million-plus earners. They also owned six other $500,000-plus winners in partnerships.
The Owner trophy will be added to the two other USHWA titles that Burke/Weaver Bruscemi won in 2013 and 2018.
The winners will be recognized at the 2024 Dan Patch Awards banquet, which will honor the best of the best of harness racing, both human and equine. The banquet will be Feb. 23 at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Fla.
In the Norman Woolworth Owner of the Year category, the pairing of Burke Racing Stable/Weaver Bruscemi (Sylvia Burke, trainer Ron Burke’s mother, with Michael Bruscemi and Mark Weaver), with hundreds of horses including many stakes winners racing at dozens of tracks.
Ron Burke/Weaver Bruscemi also had two champions in Louprint and My Girl EJ (sold before her final race of the year).
Freehold closes
Freehold Raceway in New Jersey recently closed its doors for good as more than 1,000 spectators helped bring the track’s 179-year history to a close.
According to local accounts, since 1854, harness racing was part the central Monmouth County farming community. But as land values increased and crowds dwindled, Freehold Raceway’s management announced in the fall it would close.
“I love the business, I love the track, the people here,” said a horse trainer there. “We survived two world wars, depressions, recessions, covid – to see it close, it’s not fair.”