Bryan Pettigrew

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday, Mar. 21 for Texas Champions Day. Throughout the race day, Sam Houston will spotlight aftercare by featuring Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which has three accredited organizations located in Texas: Lake Fork Stables, Lonestar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers (LOPE), and Remember Me Rescue. As part of the day's festivities, Sam Houston Race Park will honor Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance with a named race. "Sam Houston Race Park is pleased to recognize Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance during Texas Champions Day," said Bryan...

The Sam Houston Racing Club, a new collaboration between Sam Houston Race Park and MyRacehorse, was launched Monday, the track announced via press release. Compared to a traditional racing club, the Sam Houston Racing Club gives members the opportunity to become racehorse owners rather than simply joining a fan club. This includes real equity, earnings participation, and direct access to their horse's journey. Through the MyRacehorse app, club owners receive real-time updates delivered directly to their phones, including training progress, race entries, and insights from the trainer. Members can RSVP...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday, Mar. 22 for Texas Champions Day. As a supporter of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Sam Houston Race Park will showcase and raise awareness for accredited aftercare throughout the entirety of the race day and race meet. "We are very excited to host Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and their VIP guests for Texas Champions Day," said Bryan Pettigrew, Vice President & General Manager of Texas Racing Operations, Sam Houston Park. "As supporters of accredited aftercare, we are honored to highlight...

Despite a state auditor's report last summer which found major discrepancies with Texas Racing Commission record-keeping practices, during a scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, the horse racing regulator voted 5-1 to temporarily allow the state breed registries to access their portion of the Horse Industry Escrow Account (HIEA) to channel money to purses. For Thoroughbreds, that means that requests by organizations like the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) will be able to contribute to the current Sam Houston Race Park meeting's purse structure. However, the commission has not sanctioned the...

Sam Houston Race Park, whose Thoroughbred meet just started at the beginning of this month, is rolling out a new partnership with the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) and The Paddock Foundation on Ring The Bell for Thoroughbred Aftercare, the track said in a release on Sunday. Each live racing day, owners and trainers are invited to donate a portion of their purse winnings to The Paddock Foundation, the official aftercare program of the TTA. Fans can also get involved by filling out a form in the winner's circle and handing...

Starting with the Jan. 10 card, purses will be cut at Sam Houston Race Park as there is uncertainty about funding mechanisms going forward for purses. Bryan Pettigrew, the vice president and general manager of Texas Racing Operations, contacted horsemen Thursday to give them advance warning of the cuts. Due to legal issues involving HISA, the Texas Thoroughbred tracks can no longer send their simulcast signal out of state. While that has decimated handle, purses have held their own thanks to the Texas Thoroughbred Association receiving funds from something called...

A total of 22 stakes with purses totaling $2.5 million will take place throughout the 42-day Thoroughbred meet at Sam Houston Race Park, which begins its 31st live racing season Friday, Jan. 3. The annual Houston Racing Festival is set for Saturday, Jan. 25, with five stakes, anchored by the GIII Houston Ladies Classic and the GIII John B. Connally Turf. "We are committed to presenting an exciting racing season and engaging horseplayers, no matter their level of experience," said Bryan Pettigrew, Sam Houston Race Park's Vice President and General...

The Texas Racing Commission has approved the dates for the 2024 racing season at Sam Houston Race Park. The 43-day Thoroughbred meeting will open Saturday, Jan. 5, 2024, with a first post of 6:30 p.m. CT on Fridays and at 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Houston Racing Festival is set for Saturday, Jan. 27 and features five stakes races, including the two biggest races of the year, the $300,000 GIII Houston Ladies' Classic and the $200,000 GIII John B. Connolly Turf. The program will also feature a trio...

A new purse structure, approved by the Texas Thoroughbred Association, Texas Horsemen's Partnership, Sam Houston Race Park and Lone Star Park, will increase minimum purses for maiden special weight and allowance races. For 2024, Texas-bred maiden special weight and allowance races will carry a minimum purse of $40,000 at Sam Houston and Lone Star Park. This is being accomplished by reconfiguring the allocation of funds provided by the TTA to the tracks from the Texas Horse Industry Escrow Account (HIEA). The minimum purse of $40,000 for these races is a...

Horse racing veteran Bryan Pettigrew will return to Texas and oversee horse racing operations at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston and at Retama Park in Selma, PENN Entertainment announced Tuesday. Pettigrew previously was head of marketing at Sam Houston Race Park in the mid-1990s before joining the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and later the Breeders' Cup in Lexington, where he was the Chief Marketing Officer until 2019. "I was excited when I got the call to join the PENN Entertainment team and head up their Texas operations," Pettigrew...