Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course will commence it's 55th racing season on February 19th with the first of a scheduled 105 Thoroughbred cards that will run through November 25th.
Coming off the longest scheduled shutdown in the track's history (the last live race was conducted December 19, 2025—60 days ago) the 2026 race meet will once again be highlighted by the 13th edition of the $400,000 Grade 3 Penn Mile on May 29. Racing will be conducted on a Thursday andFriday basis for the first four weeks of the meet, with Wednesdays being added starting March 18th. Racing will continue that schedule until a four-week break in September, with a restart on October 7th and a three-day-a-week racing schedule until closing out the season on Thanksgiving eve, November 25th.
Post time will be 5:45 p.m. (EST) each racing night except for a 2 p.m. first race on Kentucky Derby Day (May 2) and a 5 p.m. post time for Penn Mile night and the popular Camel, Ostrich and Zebra races on July 3.
Two positive changes will also kick off the 2026 racing season—for horsemen, a 5.0% purse increase bringing the estimated average overnight purse schedule to $165,000, with Maiden Special Weight races topping out at $36,000 ($39,000 PA Breds). For the wagering public, takeout rates for Trifecta and Superfecta wagering have been reduced to 25.0% each.
"We are excited to resume live racing after our extended break with some positive changes," said Scott Lishia, Director of Racing & Sportsbook at Penn National. "We hope horsemen in the region will see a new enthusiasm as well as an excellent racing surface and look at Penn National as a strong option for their racing opportunities."
Several other changes for Horsemen will commence with the 2026 racing season. All bookkeeper transactions will now be done via ACH (Automatic Clearing House) Direct Deposit and Horsemen are encouraged to sign up for the InCompass Solutions "Interactive Racing Office" which will feature the ability to make entries online, stake nominations and stall applications.
