Parx Racing and the Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association have announced a new joint venture to provide a free equine shuttle service from Penn National Racecourse to Parx Racing. The shuttle service, which will be available on live racing days at Parx, is capable of transporting up to 10 horses. The program will begin on Labor Day, Sept. 2.
"This is a win-win situation for both the horsemen and Parx," said David Osojnak, Parx director of racing. "The partnership provides Penn National horsemen with the opportunity to race during their fall break with no transportation cost while helping to grow the field size at Parx Racing. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Penn National horsemen in an effort that will add to the excitement at Parx Racing leading up to and after the 2024 Pennsylvania Derby Day on Saturday, Sept. 21."
The collaboration grew out of discussions between Osojnak and Todd Mostoller, executive director of the PAHBPA, regarding field sizes and financial barriers to PAHBPA members that could hinder their racing at Parx during their downtime at Penn National. Both organizations recognized that by sharing the cost of transportation, both sides could benefit.
"We are excited about this collaboration with Parx which will provide free, no-cost equine transportation to our PAHBPA owners and trainers," said Mostoller. "We are always interested in pursuing new, creative opportunities to assist our members, and this effort has a lot of promise."
Because the shuttle will be limited to 10 horses per live race day, access will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and is only available to Penn National horsemen for transportation between the track in Grantville and Parx Racing in Bensalem. Horsemen are encouraged to contact Simoff Horse Transportation at 302-994-1433 or by email at Simoffhorsetranport@gmail.com to arrange their shipping needs once overnights come out. Horsemen with any questions about the shuttle service are encouraged to contact the Parx Racing Office at 215-639-9000, extension 3310, or the PAHBPA at 717-469-2970.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
