Parx Turf Course

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...

On Wednesday, Aug. 28 it was reported that HISA and the local horsemen's group pressured Parx management to close down its turf course. Now the racetrack is planning to put the surface through a series of tests, according to a statement issued by HISA on Thursday. Parx management has informed the oversight organization that they have arranged for Racing Services Testing Laboratory (RSTL) to test and evaluate the turf surface. Additionally, HISA has requested that members of the Track Surface Advisory Group visit in the coming days to assess its...