Parx Racing

On paper, it appeared that Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), coming into Parx's GI Cotillion S. off three consecutive Grade I victories for Godolphin and Brendan Walsh, held her rivals over a barrel. Despite that fact, Ceiling Crusher (Mr. Big) took full advantage of the soggy, sealed track by going to the front and never looking back enroute to a narrow victory over the 2-1 Classic winner. Breaking to the immediate inside of Pretty Mischievous, the 3-1 co-second choice flashed her usual early speed, leading Majestic Creed (Jimmy Creed) and Hoosier...

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association released its 2023 stakes schedule for locally bred horses they said on Thursday. The list includes 29 stakes to be run at state-wide tracks throughout the year, with seven slated for Pennsylvania-sired and bred runners. The first of 23 stakes with purses of $100,000 will be run Monday, Apr. 24 at Parx Racing, followed by a summer stakes schedule hosted by Penn National and Presque Isle Downs. The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's signature event, Pennsylvania's Day at the Races, will be held Monday, Aug. 21...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 01/22/2023 Licensee: Randy Rennon, owner Penalty:...

There are better, faster horses in the sport, but there's not another one like Beverly Park (Munnings). In an era where five or six starts a year is considered a normal campaign for a horse and many trainers look for seven or eight weeks between starts, the 5-year-old made of blood, flesh and iron continued to laugh at conventional wisdom. In his 30th start of the year, he won Saturday's third race at the Fair Grounds by 3 3/4 lengths, paying $3.80. The race was a starter optional claimer and...

Another eventful year for horse racing is about to come to an end, which makes this a good time to look back at the TDN stories that were the most widely read during the year. From the heroics of Flightline (Tapit) to the on-going saga of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) to the latest developments in the Jorge Navarro-Jason Servis scandal, there was no shortage of important stories. Unfortunately, there were a number of major stories that reflected poorly on the sport, but, our statistics show, those...

Penn National will slice 16 dates off its 2023 racing schedule (from 150 to 134), Parx Racing will add four dates (from 150 to 154), while Presque Isle Downs will remain level at 100 dates, according to a master calendar approved Nov.29 by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission (PHRC). "The reduction in days at Penn National was based on a mutual agreement between the horsemen and the racetrack, to try to maintain the current purse structure," Anthony Salerno, a spokesperson for the PHRC, wrote in an email to TDN. Penn...

Jessica Paquette, a New England native with nearly 20 years of experience in horse racing, will be the new voice of Parx Racing starting in December. In accepting the position, Paquette becomes the only full-time, year-round female track announcer in the United States. "I am grateful for the women in the racing industry who have paved the way for my generation to work in so many different areas," said Paquette. "My hope is that I can similarly help inspire young women who may want to be part of our sport."...

Last seen fighting out a tight finish in the GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. in neighboring New Jersey in mid-July, 'TDN Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner) and Cyberknife (Gun Runner) are the top two choices on the morning line for what appears a contentious renewal of the $1-million GI betPARX Pennsylvania Derby Saturday afternoon in suburban Philadelphia. A veteran of just four starts, Taiba--a $1.7-million purchase by Zedan Racing Stables out of last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale--took the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby at second asking, but the GI Kentucky...

A total of 142 entries were taken for Pennsylvania Day at the Races, the 13-race extravaganza for Pennsylvania-breds worth over $1 million, including seven $100,000 stakes, to be run Monday, Aug. 22 at Parx Racing. This year's card of stakes offerings was expanded from five to seven with the addition of two restricted to Pennsylvania-bred and sired 2-year-olds, each of which attracted 12 entries. Going off as the ninth and 10th races, the first up will be the $100,000 Miss Blue Tye Dye for fillies, followed by the $100,000 Whistle...

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association has released the 2022 stakes schedule for state-bred horses with 27 stakes to be run at Pennsylvania tracks throughout the year totaling over $4 million. The stakes action kicks off Apr. 25 at Parx Racing with two seven-furlong $100,000 races for older horses: the Unique Bella for fillies and mares, and the Page McKenney H. Seven $100,000 stakes will be carded on Pennsylvania Day at the Races Aug. 22 at Parx, including the first two events of the inaugural 2-year-old PA-Sired PA-Bred Stallion Series. The...

Officials at Lone Star Park have announced that horses stabled at Fonner Park in Nebraska and Parx Racing, each of which is being impacted by EHV-1 positives, will not be allowed to participate at the Dallas-area oval until further notice. Additionally, the track is continuing to require that all horses admitted to the stable area have a current (i.e. within 90 days) FDA-approved EHV-1 vaccine or booster. Vaccine information must be noted on the certificate for admittance. Horsepeople are encouraged to contact the Lone Star racing office for further information.

After 25 years on the job, Michael P. Ballezzi is calling it quits as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.  Since taking the reins in 1996 as executive director, Ballezzi has been a champion of the sport, its horsemen, and equine athletes while spearheading programs which would ultimately become the model for industry-wide change in equine aftercare. His most successful efforts include establishing the Horsemen's Purchasing Association, providing bedding, feed, supplements, and equipment at discounted prices on the backstretch at Parx; developing Turning for Home in May...