Parx resumed racing on August 19th at his Bensalem facility in Pennsylvania after a planned annual break. It was shortly after this that it had to suspend turf racing temporarily. A fatal injury to the horse Causes Trouble brought the safety of the turf course into question. The injury happened during the $100,000 Parx Dash held on the track on August 24th. Parx is addressing the situation and plans to re-open turf racing in mid-September. 

Parx releases a statement

Officials at Parx released a statement declaring that the safety of riders and horses is paramount at Parx Racing. It rejected the comments made by the President of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Bob Hutt, about the turf course and Parx executives. He voiced his opinions on various media outlets about the poor condition of the course and circulated a video showing divots.

The statement by Parx Racing also mentioned that the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) certified the Parx turf and dirt tracks in 2018. Inspection and approval of both tracks took place in June this year by the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory. Parx Racing spends a significant amount of money annually to ensure the tracks are kept in good condition.

Parx Racing also stated that it would welcome any investigatory efforts made by agencies like the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission (PHRC) and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).

Many people bet on sports in Pennsylvania, and betting on horse races like the PA Derby is popular.

Safety statistics

Ann McGovern, director of racetrack safety for HISA, spoke to Joe Wilson, Chief Operating Officer for Parx Racing. He stated that divots are repaired on the day following racing. At the time the video was taken, these repairs hadn’t taken place yet. 

McGovern said that safety statistics at the Parx turf course don’t show a spike in injuries. At the same time, she acknowledged the sadness of the loss of Causes Trouble. The horse’s necropsy will also be examined as part of the evaluation. 

Parx Racing had to move two scheduled turf stakes to the main track on August 26th. The same happened to a pair of races scheduled for grass on August 27th. Watching live horse racing can get rid of stress as the thrill of seeing the best horses in the world compete takes the mind off anything else. It shouldn’t be long before live racing can resume at Parx and you won’t miss top races you look forward to watching.

HISA officials visit Parx

HISA officials and turf surface experts visited Parx Casino and Racing in early September. HISA is a federal agency that oversees national integrity and safety rules for thoroughbred racing. The team was there to evaluate the track and collect soil samples. They also did moisture and consistency tests to compare with previous ones. The team noticed that the divots had been filled in but that the track was dry.

Steps track management is taking

Track management explained that the irrigation system was down for maintenance and it was operational again by September 4th. Track management will complete further steps over the next two weeks. It wants to resume turf racing on September 16th. This will continue through to September 21st and conclude with the PA Derby. Before this, the Racing Services Testing Laboratory will evaluate the surface once again.

HISA officials will re-evaluate

Watching live racing can get your adrenaline pumping with all the excitement. It won’t be long before you can watch live racing on the Parx turf track again. HISA officials will keep working with Parx management to evaluate progress before the track reopening.