Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association

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...

Parx Racing has kicked off renovations to the Philadelphia-area oval's turf course, a project that is expected to take approximately four weeks. "We want to thank the horsemen and women for their collaboration and patience as we begin the process of renovating the turf course," said Parx Chief Operating Officer Joe Wilson. "We expect this course will be held to the highest safety standards and we are looking forward to the return of turf racing here at Parx." The renovation began Wednesday, April 8 with the sod--provided by Tuckahoe Farms...

In a joint statement from President Bob Hutt and Executive Director Jeff Matty of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA), the Bucks County litigation filed last fall by members of the board of directors was settled on terms that all parties believe to be in the best interest of the PTHA and its 2,500-plus membership, the organization said via a press release on Thursday. On Oct. 22 of last year, TDN's T.D. Thornton reported that seven of the 11 directors of the PTHA had filed a legal response that denied...

From Bob Hutt Let me preface my remarks as President of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) by saying I am humbled and honored that Smarty Jones was made a finalist for the Hall of Fame. Smarty Jones was the first horse unbeaten through the Kentucky Derby and Preakness since Seattle Slew in 1977.  Justify and Seattle Slew are the only horses to win the Triple Crown while unbeaten. Smarty's run through the 2004 Triple Crown races compares very favorably with Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify. In fact,...

Edited Press Release The Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory (PETRL), a Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program laboratory, has been directed to modify its instrumentation and methodology for TCO2 testing to mass spectrometry so that it is consistent with the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit's three other Program laboratories, HIWU announced Wednesday. PETRL has already transitioned to this methodology, which is also independently endorsed by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. HIWU began its review of PETRL's procedures in response to a disproportionately...

Seven of the 11 directors of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) filed a legal response Monday that denied sweeping allegations of corruption and cronyism that were made last month by the PTHA's current president and another board member. Facing a petition in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that seeks to use a state business corporations law to remove those seven directors from the PTHA board, the respondents stated in their Oct. 21 filing that the petition should be denied "because it is both legally and...

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...

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...

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...

Over the next fortnight, board members of the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) will participate in a new exchange program, which features an intensive tour of hallowed racing sites in Ireland and England. "The new program is a continued effort by the ORI to exchange tradecraft and weigh how integrity is protected in different countries across the world," said ORI's immediate past chairman Jason Klouser. The small group, which includes Klouser, Tyler Durand, J.C. Jaramillo, Juan Estrada and David Duncan, will make stops at The Curragh, Leopardstown and Coolmore. Fellow...

Uncovering loaded needles and syringes to apprehending an assistant starter who was in possession of a controlled substance, seasoned integrity teams conducted searches and seizures last week across a pair of Keystone State racetracks. Led by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission staff, the sweeps took place first in Erie at Presque Isle Downs before spending three days downstate at Parx Racing in Bensalem through Saturday's GI Pennsylvania Derby. As part of their integrity program, the Commission once again put together a group of investigators--this time from nine states, plus...

Members of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) have selected horse owner and breeder Robert Hutt to serve as the new president of the organization. Bob Hutt is president and CEO of Uptowncharlybrown Stud, LLC, a Pennsylvania-based Thoroughbred breeder and management firm. Hutt has 37 years of experience as an owner and a breeder and is the lead sponsor of the PTHA's Turning for Home, the association's signature racehorse aftercare and placement program. "I am honored and thrilled to represent the horsemen at Parx," Hutt said. "As president of the...