Turnaround for Dave Panlone

What a turnaround it has been for Dave Panlone, as the 3-year-old colt pacer has gone from being winless in four months—as well as being a last-minute scratch out of the Little Brown Jug eliminations after coming up lame—to being the morning-line favorite in Saturday’s Breeders Crown at Woodbine.

Dave Panlone had been getting solid, rail-hugging trips in some of the summer’s biggest races, including a Bluegrass division and the Cane Pace and North America Cup finals, but never got out and fired as he finished third, third and fourth in those races, respectively.

It’s when he gets out first-over that Dave Panlone does his best work. Most recently, the colt by The Panderosa won his Breeders Crown elim in 1:50.3 after grinding out first-over much of the mile. In a Tattersalls division at Lexington, Brian Sears drove him for the first time to a first-over, 1:49.3 victory as a 17-1 outlier.

Sears retains the drive in Saturday’s $610,000 Breeders Crown final at Woodbine, but trainer Jim Arledge Jr. says Sears is not the only reason for Dave Panlone’s turnaround.

“When David (Miller) won with him he was first-up, too (in the NA Cup elim). Then we kept trying to give him good trips and he’d get locked in and couldn’t get away where we wanted him to be. Brian has sure clicked with him, though,” he said.

Arledge added that he won’t tell Sears to come first-up if he doesn’t have to.

“He could go from a trip (if available)—that’s just the way things have worked out the last couple starts. We definitely don’t want to be caught too much first-up. I think it will be a tough race and I think there’s a lot of early speed in it,” he said.

Dave Panlone has drawn post two in the 10-horse field. He is listed as the 5-2 morning line favorite in a field that includes Cane Pace winner Total Truth (post four), Meadowlands Pace winner Artistic Fella (post 10), Dan Patch winner Jereme’s Jet (post 9) and recent standout Shark Gesture (post 5). Arledge is confident in his charge’s chances.

“I think he’ll be alright. There are a lot of nice colts in there. I think he’ll get off the gate good and be up toward the front,” he said.

Dave Panlone has five wins in 16 starts this year, earning $410,722 for co-owners James Stambaugh and Milton Leeman of Ohio.

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