pennsylvania racing

In the wake of the 14-count guilty finding in the trial of trainer Murray Rojas, Penn National has permanently barred her and two others from the racetrack. Meanwhile, the national horsemen’s group, the HBPA, is defending its position of financially supporting Rojas and claiming efforts to “support clean racing.” In this edition of The Friday […]

Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA authored the following response to a piece written by Ray Paulick Wednesday regarding the outcome of the federal trial of trainer Murray Rojas in Pennsylvania: The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and Pennsylvania HBPA support clean racing in our sport. Period. Despite what Mr. Paulick writes on […]

A federal trial taking place in Harrisburg, Pa., could have wide-ranging implications, depending on the outcome. In this edition of The Friday Show, Scott Jagow and Ray Paulick discuss the trial of trainer Murray Rojas, who faces multiple counts related to illegally treating horses with therapeutic medications on race day. But she’s not the only […]

Finest City scooped up three state-bred honors at the recent Iroquois Awards Banquet held by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association. According to a report by The Blood-Horse, the daughter of City Zip was named champion older female, champion female sprinter, and Horse of the Year for 2016. The Eclipse Award winner picked up over $800,000 in […]

Stephanie Beattie threw fellow horsemen under the bus during her testimony for the prosecution Tuesday afternoon at the federal trial of Murray Rojas, a former rival for leading trainer honors at Penn National in Grantville, Pa. Beattie admitted she routinely had her horses illegally treated with therapeutic medications on race day by the same veterinarians […]

Horse racing lost 14 potential fans this past week in Pennsylvania. The 14 men and women are serving on the jury in the federal trial of Murray Rojas, the Penn National-based trainer charged on multiple counts of wire fraud, conspiracy and misbranding of drugs. When this case is over, I’m sure the racetrack is the […]

Nearly two years after her first indictment, the trial of Pennsylvania trainer Murray Rojas is scheduled for Monday in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg, Pa. The trainer is alleged to have illegally administered or directed administration of drugs to dozens of starters within 24 hours of post time over a period of five years. Rojas faces […]

Gettysburg businessman David LeVan has decided to drop plans to develop a racetrack and casino in Adams County, Pennsylvania. According to a report by FOX-43, LeVan did not submit an application for a gaming license for the project, called Mason-Dixon Downs. It was LeVan’s third attempt at building a casino in the county; the businessman told reporters […]

Two hundred thousand dollars is on the line for older horses in the Mountainview Handicap presented by HollywoodRaces.com this Saturday at Penn National as a part of the track’s Penn Mile card, and the popular Mid-Atlantic gelding Page McKenney stands as the 9-to-5 morning line favorite in the 1 1/8-mile test. Now seven years old, Page […]

In 2011, the Massachusetts legislature set up the Horse Race Development Fund, an account started to help get the horse racing industry “back on its feet” after years of struggling with declining attendance at tracks, etc. The fund currently has about $15.5 million in its coffers, and it continues to grow thanks to casino revenue. […]