Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission

In the latest salvo amid an oftentimes confusing chain of events that have played out across Pennsylvania's racing industry the last couple of months, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) issued a statement Thursday denying allegations the organization had failed to provide adequate support for the nine trainers at Parx Racing who were told last month by track management they would be denied stalls at the track, but were given no reasons as to why. "The information that is being provided is one-sided and fails to reflect the immediate and...

An 81-year-old veterinarian and two trainers with decades of experience who were summarily suspended in November by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission (PSHRC) for allegedly having engaged in "inappropriate, illegal or unethical conduct" at Penn National Race Course are among 14 individuals facing charges related to violations of intra-articular injection rules. The new allegations were announced Feb. 21 by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU). A coordinated investigation led by the PSHRC-first reported by TDN's J.N. Campbell three months ago-had...

I recently finished reading a book called "The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, The World's Greatest Racehorse" by Lawrence Scanlon. Figuring to maybe get a new tidbit or two about the great horse, I was astonished at how it really was more of a pilgrimage of someone becoming a passionate fan. It covered a lot of information about "Big Red" (or "Super Red" if you feel the former belongs to Man o' War), but what was much more interesting was how it provided a look at the...

Vladimir Cespedes, an owner, exercise rider and stable employee based at Parx Racing was found in possession of an electrical device and illegal human narcotics on Monday, July 23, during an integrity sweep of the barn area which was led by Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission (PSHRC) investigators who were in coordination with the racetrack and the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA), according to a stewards' ruling (24172PP) posted on the Commission's portal. That same day, Cespedes was summarily suspended by the stewards for a potential violation of 7 PA...

The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission (PSHRC) has rescinded an Aug. 18, 2022, ruling against trainer Jamie Ness that suspended him six months and fined him $5,000 for a positive drug test for bufotenine in a winning horse at Parx. Bufotenine is a psychoactive substance often referred to as "toad venom" because one of its sources is the skin of toads from the genus Bufo. In humans, it has been used for centuries in traditional forms of medicine as both a hallucinogen and a purported aphrodisiac. Starting in the 1990s,...

Parx Racing suspended jockey Hector Caballero for 10 days because of his "misuse of the riding crop" after the finish of the 10th race at Parx July 27. The incident occurred aboard Belongs to Babe in a maiden for fillies 3-year-old's and up. On the date in question, Caballero and Belong to Babe crossed the wire in second behind Solid Gold Dancer, who was subsequently disqualified for interference with another rival. During the gallop out, Caballero struck his mount on the shoulder, which is in violation of the State's recently...