Pennsylvania

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...

[caption id="attachment_519798" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Duplicitous breaks his maiden at Delaware Park in 1990 | Hoofprints, Inc. [/caption] As is the case with most of these horses who live on in relative anonymity after their careers on the racetrack end, Duplicitous really didn't accomplish much of anything on the racetrack. He ran just 11 times and won just once, in a $4,000 maiden claimer at Delaware Park way back in 1990. But ask his owner, Fonda Dixon, and the horse who was renamed Athens, is as special as any racehorse who...

William Joseph ("Doc") Solomon, beloved veterinarian, farm owner and mentor to many, has passed at the age of 84. As founder and owner of Pin Oak Lane Farm, a full-service farm and equine veterinary clinic in York County, Pennsylvania, "Doc" Solomon was responsible for helping to raise a Kentucky Derby winner, Lil. E. Tee, the supposed supporting act who took a curtain call in the 1992 running of the race after favorite Arazi flubbed his lines. Alongside the many talented horses that "Doc" Solomon helped nurture, he inspired many young...

In response to winter weather cancellations earlier in December, Parx Racing, along with the PTHA and the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission, has added three Thursday race dates for January 2026, January 8, January 15, and January 22, the track announced Wednesday. "Winter racing always comes with challenges, and flexibility is critical," said David Osojnak, Parx Director of Racing. "Adding these January race days allows us to respond constructively to December's weather-related cancellations while continuing to support our program and  horsemen to deliver a consistent racing product. We try to help...

Parx will begin installing a new turf course in March with the goal of racing on it by late summer 2026. There has been no grass racing at Parx since September 2024. In August of that season the course was closed after a catastrophic equine injury during a stakes resulted in a euthanization, triggering a safety review by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). The track was cleared to reopen by HISA within several weeks, with Parx agreeing to put new protocols and maintenance procedures in place. But another...

It's clear that Stuart Angus touched the lives of many. A one of a kind human being, I don't think he knew a stranger. I met Stu in November of 2016, probably by complete happenstance, but like many others we met because of horses. I had finished working that summer at Presque Isle Downs and had decided to go back into healthcare. In the grand scheme of things, I had minimal knowledge and no idea what I was getting myself into when I came to Kentucky to work a November...

New Years Eve (Night Conqueror), believed to be the second-oldest American Thoroughbred on record, has passed away in Pennsylvania. He was 39 and reported to be the oldest living Thoroughbred at the time of his death. We shared his story in March, shortly after his official birthday. Called 'Axl' by those closest to him, the beloved dark bay was foaled the same year as Sunday Silence and Easy Goer. History's oldest-known American Thoroughbred, a gelding named Dead Solid Perfect, died in 2022 at 39 years and 188 days. New Years...

Longtime owner and breeder Deanna Manfredi has been named the new president of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, the organization announced Wednesday. Most recently secretary of the association, she succeeds Gregory Newell who has held the role since 2019. "I haven't been a very political person, which is why this has been a long time coming," said Manfredi. "I don't have a political bone in my body. Unfortunately, we find ourselves now where our whole future, our whole program, the sport essentially, has become a political issue. Owner of Ascoli...

Those of us fortunate to have been in the Thoroughbred industry for any length of time--whether with hands on horses daily or from behind a desk or from somewhere in between--have seen hundreds, and more likely thousands, of horses in this sport. It can be easy to pass one up at the sales if they don't have perfect conformation or drop one in for a claim if they haven't measured up on the track. But what we may sometimes forget is that we are all here because of a love...

Smarty Jones, the Pennsylvania-bred horse that captured the hearts of sports and horse fans across the world during his race for the Triple Crown in 2004, is the subject of a new 37-minute documentary titled 'Ride of a Lifetime: The Smarty Jones Story'. Following Smarty Jones being named a finalist for the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame last week, the documentary can be streamed for free exclusively on a newly-launched website. Filmed last year to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Smarty Jones' Triple Crown run, the story...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority ("HISA") and its prohibited substance enforcement unit, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit ("HIWU"), are to be commended for withdrawing the TCO2 charges against numerous trainers with respect to a rash of positives in Pennsylvania, which, by inference, they allege are caused by so-called "milkshaking." "Milkshaking" is the practice of pumping baking soda into a horse's stomach, which is believed to prevent or slow lactic acid buildup in horses and allow them to run faster and for longer periods. The numerous positives coming out...

Let's acknowledge straightaway that this cursory look at some (and only some) of the major regional programs can represent little more than a gesture of respect. As a rule, after all, we're talking about stallions that serve an almost exclusively local market, and those that do so best will have a corresponding local reputation that scarcely needs amplifying. Moreover the same caveats apply, here, as to our recent survey of Kentucky options: namely, that the one or two we single out are purely subjective picks; and, above all, that you...