Parx

Back in mid-October, trainer John Kirby claimed a horse named Tricolour (Hard Spun) at Parx out of a $10,000 maiden claimer. Not everyone thought that was such a good idea. "The first time we ran him, the guys on TVG said, 'Who in their right mind would claim a horse that was 0-39?'" said Kirby, who is also the horse's owner. The answer: a smart trainer. Tricolour was on his way to becoming the sport's next Zippy Chippy (Compliance), who went winless in 100 career starts. Purchased for $140,000 at...

Whatever Next? It's as big a question for the throwback gelding of that name as for his sire, both standing at an exciting crossroads in their respective careers. Next's domination of a niche division of the American Turf is now such that he may now try to adapt to a more competitive, mainstream discipline at the Breeders' Cup. But whether this switch concerns distance or surface, in the Classic or Turf respectively, nobody should be surprised if the gray proves equal to the challenge. For his sire Not This Time...

After Next (Not This Time) romped in Saturday's GIII Greenwood Cup at Parx, trainer Doug Cowans said Sunday he will consider both the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and the GI Breeders' Cup Turf for the marathon specialist's next start. "We're going to get the horse home," Cowans said. "He's on his way back right now from Philadelphia to Kentucky. We will let him get back to his routine and get through the first breeze, which will take place 15 to 17 days from now. From there, we'll see how the...

Edited Press Release Jeff Matty was only 13 when Smarty Jones captured the collective heart of the horse racing world by coming within a length of winning the Triple Crown in 2004. (Queue Tom Durkin: "And Birdstone wins the Belmont Stakes.") In his third year as executive director of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA), Matty came up with an idea to ensure that the legacy of the best Pennsylvania-bred ever would endure for generations to come. The result is "The Ride of a Lifetime--The Smarty Jones Story," a documentary...

by Tim Wilkin, courtesy Wednesday's Pennsylvania Derby & Cotillion News The echoes that bounced off the rafters at Saratoga Race Course last month are still fresh in the mind of Brian Hernandez, Jr. The 38-year-old jockey can still hear the noise as he rode Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) to a heart-pounding second--beaten by a head--behind Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Travers Stakes. Thorpedo Anna's bid to become the first filly to win the Travers in 109 years came up just short. Now, the page has turned to Parx...

A legal petition spearheaded by the current president of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) has made sweeping allegations involving bad-faith cronyism, corruption investigation obstruction, and more than a million dollars of "illicit and disguised ghost consulting payments" and "lame duck" contract awards that were purportedly authorized by and at times reportedly made to the PTHA's past president and the organization's current executive director. The purpose of the Sept. 6 civil petition filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, by PTHA president Bob Hutt and PTHA...

Eight days after turf racing was halted at Parx amid pressure from horsemen and HISA, HISA officials released their evaluation of the turf surface, saying that the holes had been filled, but the surface was noticeably dry. Causes Trouble (Creative Cause) broke down on the grass in the Aug. 24 Parx Dash, leading his trainer, Harold Wyner, to walk the course and release a video that showed numerous holes, some of them up to a foot deep. Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's President Bob Hutt said he was ignored when he demanded...

Pennsylvania's Parx Racing has issued a statement following news the turf course at the Bensalem track has been closed due to dangerous conditions. For background on the situation, which included the breakdown of Causes Trouble (Creative Cause) Aug. 24, please click here. HISA released a statement earlier Thursday indicating a series of tests will be run. Thursday afternoon, officials at Parx released their own statement. It appears in full and unedited below: "The recent spurious comments made by the President of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horseman's Association, Bob Hutt, regarding the...

Under pressure from HISA and the local horsemen's group, Parx management has closed down its turf course after a horse broke down on the grass in the Aug. 24 Parx Dash S. The horse, Causes Trouble (Creative Cause), is co-owned by John Fanelli and was making his 33rd career start. "It's always been known as a bad course, but if I knew it was that bad, I never would have put my horse on that surface," Fanelli said. "I was really upset about the condition of the course and when...

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas expressed his desire on Sunday to run GI Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey (Arrogate) in the Aug. 24 GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Tim Wilkin covered Lukas's perspective extensively in Saratoga Notebook, presented by NYRA Bets. On Tuesday, according to Daily Racing Form's David Grening, Lukas confirmed Seize the Grey will instead be pointed to the Sept. 21 GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx. Although he trains at Saratoga, the 3-year-old colt has finished off the board in his two starts...

With temperatures expected in the high '90s, Parx has canceled its racing card for Tuesday. The Pennsylvania track held live racing Monday and racing is expected to resume again Wednesday with a first post time of 12:40 p.m.

Louis Albertrani, a retired Thoroughbred trainer who grew up in Brooklyn and was best known for conditioning the 1999 Eclipse Award champion sprinter Artax, died July 13 at his home in Delaware after collapsing from an apparent heart attack. He was 67. Albertrani's passing was confirmed to TDN Monday by his one-year-younger brother, Tom Albertrani, who himself had just retired from training earlier this spring. Lou Albertrani was licensed between 1992 and 2021, according to Equibase. His trainees won $5.2 million in purses from 1,654 starts with a 133-161-191 win-place-show...