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Parx Racing Investigator Conference Starts Sunday

With an expected record attendance of over 120 participants, the 28th annual training and networking conference held by the Organization of Racing Investigators (ORI) is set for Sunday, Mar. 3 and will run through Wednesday, Mar. 6 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

The TDN's CEO/Publisher Sue Finley will serve as the keynote speaker during the group's Monday evening dinner and awards ceremony, where her remarks will focus on horse racing, the media and integrity.

Central to ORI is the pursuit of integrity and education for its members. Interactions among investigators through networking helps to create lasting relationships between jurisdictions. This year's attendees hail from 18 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Ireland, England, France and South Africa.

The event will feature 16 presenters over the course of Monday and Tuesday, as members soak up the latest information concerning a host of pertinent topics directly related to their day-to-day work policing racetracks in their home states.

A broad range of case studies include unregulated horse racing, stable area access systems and equine safety stewarding, just to name a few. Representatives from various organizations like the British Horseracing Authority, the Comisión de Juegos de Puerto Rico, the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit and the Association of Racing Commissioners International will participate.

“Each year our attendance continues to grow and we would like to thank Parx for rolling out the red carpet for us and all of our sponsors for their assistance,” said ORI Chairman Jason Klouser of the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission. “This year's conference will have record attendance of over 120 individuals and has something for everyone. From the rookie investigator to the most seasoned, this is all about the general health of the sport. We are very pleased to welcome Sue as our featured speaker.”

“The question of integrity in horse racing has never been more important than it is right now, and the media has an important role to play in that question,” said Finley. “I look forward to speaking to the investigators and discussing how the roles we each play affect one another.”

Click here for the Parx Conference program.

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Presque Isle Cuts Four Dates from 80-Day Season

Presque Isle Downs will eliminate four dates from its 80-day racing season this year by slicing four late-summer Thursdays off its schedule.

The track received unanimous permission to do so during Tuesday's Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission meeting.

Presque Isle's director of racing, Matthew Ennis, described the track's reasoning for dropping the dates.

“We always take a hard look at our purse funding as we're going throughout our offseason to make sure that we have competitive purses for the upcoming meet,” Ennis said. “We suffered a very poor January as a result of weather, mainly. [And] coming out of January we had discussion with [Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association executive director Todd Mostoller]. In doing some simple math, it was determined that if we were able to eliminate those days we could stay competitive for our daily purses.”

Ennis said it is possible that Presque Isle will consider carding additional races on certain cards to make up for the relinquished dates.

“We have agreed to look at, as we go through our season, adding races to give them back to the horsemen,” Ennis said. “We're hoping for improved results here with our slots revenue.”

The dates that have been abandoned are Aug. 22 and 29 plus Sept. 5 and 12.

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Clerk Of Scales At Presque Isle Downs Suspended For Failure To Weigh-Out Jockeys

A longtime racetrack employee and the current Clerk of Scales at Churchill Downs Inc.-owned Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania was suspended by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission's Bureau of Thoroughbred Horse Racing for 30 days beginning Jan. 8. Danny Hamilton was found by the stewards to have neglected to weigh-out jockeys before the eighth race Oct. 11.

Director of Enforcement Jason Klouser, who led the investigation, said, “The Racing Commission's investigators observed Danny Hamilton failing to weigh-out the jockeys for race 8, which is a violation of numerous sections of Pennsylvania's rules of racing.”

Klouser added, “At this point, the investigation into Hamilton's activities is ongoing to determine if there were any other violations.”

According to the stewards ruling which is posted on the commission's website, part of the duties of the Clerk of Scales and/or their assistant is to preside over the racing process from when the jockeys assemble before the race to weigh-out, all the way through its conclusion when they come off the course to weigh-in.

Hamilton appeared this past summer on an episode of Horse Racing Today co-hosted by Jamie Martinez in which he discussed his experiences and delved into his duties as a clerk.

On that program, Hamilton said, “We run a very tight ship here at Presque Isle.” When asked what happens if a rider's weight is off when he or she comes off the course, the clerk said with a laugh, “Well then we have real problems! Then the Racing Commission gets involved and stuff gets really real.”

He went on to say, “But we don't have that problem, all the riders come back heavier than what they went out. So, if you go out at 124 [pounds], chances are you're going to come in at 126 [pounds], 127 [pounds], because the saddle towel, the pad, the horse's are sweaty, it soaks up into the pad and saddle towel … it weighs a lot. If they come back lighter than they went out, major problem, if they come back heavier, then you're good to go.”

Growing up around racetracks, including Beulah Park and Delaware Park, Hamilton as recently as 2019 served as an inspector for the Ohio State Racing Commission. Since then, he's had several other stops at locations such as Oaklawn Park, where he was an integrity officer.

Hamilton was hired as the Clerk of Scales by Presque Isle Downs earlier this year after he was the horse identifier at the course during the 2022 season. An attempt was made to contact the track's Director of Racing, Matthew Ennis, but several messages were not returned.

Currently, Hamilton is serving as a placing judge at Fair Grounds, which is also owned by Churchill Downs Inc.

Klouser confirmed that, “We have notified the Louisiana Racing Commission of the pending suspension.”

As for the ruling, Hamilton is denied access to all grounds under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission and does have the right to appeal. He was unable to be reached for comment.

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Penn National Replacing 51-Year-Old Track Rail

Penn National is getting a new track rail that will replace the one that's been in place since 1972.

“That's the original track rail that's been in there since the track opened,” Chris McErlean, the vice president of racing for PENN Entertainment, said during Tuesday's Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission meeting. “We are going to a new PVC breakaway type rail that is in use at a couple racetracks right now, and it should be better from a safety standpoint and a maintenance standpoint.”

Penn National started a scheduled break after the Sept. 22 program. Live Racing resumes Oct. 25.

“That should take us a little less than two weeks to get installed,” McErlean said. “We're working around training. We've adjusted training hours slightly to accommodate that. But it should be up and fully installed by the middle of October.”

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