WILL PALERMO HANOVER BRING ‘A’ GAME TO SATURDAY’S $57,335 CURRIER & IVES AT THE MEADOWS?
By Evan Pattak For The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association
WASHINGTON, PA, June 24, 2022 — Trainer Noel Daley doesn’t mince words when discussing the prospects of Palermo Hanover in her next race.
“On her best day,” Daley says, “she’s the one they’ll all have to beat.”
Palermo Hanover will get a chance to prove the boss right in that next race, Saturday’s $57,335 Currier & Ives for 3-year-old filly trotters at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. The 7-5 morning line favorite, she’ll leave from the rail in race 7 with Mike Wilder aboard.
Daley, who owns the daughter of Father Patrick-Personal Style with Lenny Zelin and the Gandolfo Stables, purchased her at Harrisburg for $45,000 and was happy the hammer dropped when it did.
“That was very cheap for her breeding; her mother won the Hambletonian Oaks,” Daley says. “It was a helluva deal, really. She’s got good broodmare value, that’s for sure.”
She banked $143,112 at 2, winning Bluegrass and International Stallion Series splits at the Red Mile. Yet there have been times when she doesn’t seem to bring her “A” game, although Daley recoils from the term “inconsistent.”
For example, in a May 21 Pennsylvania Sires Stake leg at The Meadows, she took her mark of 1:53.3 by moving from mid-pack and jogging off to victory. Yet she followed that up with a lackluster fifth-place finish in a PA All-Stars division at Pocono.
“Some days she’s tons the best. Other days, she’s pretty good,” Daley allows. “She looked unbeatable in that PASS win, but the next start she was just OK.”
Palermo Hanover is eligible to a number of the lucrative, season-defining stakes such as the Oaks and the Breeders Crown. Daley indicates that the filly will tell him where to race her.
“Right now, she probably doesn’t match up with the best of them. She’s definitely got the talent, but that’s a step too far at the moment. We’ll definitely take her back to Lexington. The big track obviously suits her.”
