Pennsylvania’s Statewide Horse Racing Marketing and Safety Effort Continues to Provide Favorable Results

According to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association, the state’s statewide marketing effort for horse racing, both Standardbred and Thoroughbred, has continued to yield favorable results for the 2021-22 cycle. During the Oct. 25 Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission meeting, a recap of the previous period and a vision ahead to 2022-23 were offered. The Pennsylvania Equine Coalition formed the PHRA, which includes a statewide marketing plan, specialized promotions, and instructional initiatives at the state’s six racetracks. All this creates super opportunities for those who want to place bets at mobile casinos for Australian players and make some race predictions. There will be more than enough opportunities to do so.

Ashley Eisenbeil, director of marketing for the PHRC, which supervises the PHRA, stated that the focus in 2022 would be on reintroducing people to live racing events following COVID-19. She reported a 16.4 percent gain in live racing pari-mutuel handling, despite a drop in the number of live racing days compared to 2020.

“It’s a major performance metric for our statewide branding strategy,” Eisenbeil said, noting that the PHRA staffed all six racetracks on big-event days. The PHRA’s president, Pete Peterson, stated that the organization’s aim remains to raise public knowledge of racing and breeding, increase handling, and expand the fan base. He stated that the company would continue to pursue a hybrid strategy, leveraging online tools while driving visitors to live racing events.

What’s Happening in Reality?

The PHRA website had a 58.5 percent rise in traffic during the previous cycle, with the page that gives links to free prior performances on various days throughout the year ranking second. This says a lot. Such a rise in traffic signals the interest of the target audience, and luckily, there are plenty of strategies for winning horse racing bets so that they benefit to the fullest.  

According to Anthony Salerno, who supervises the PHRC’s Standardbred department, almost $2.3 million in purses were paid at the fairs. There were 21 scheduled stops at 17 sites before the Oct. 7 finals at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows, but the last regular season event in Meadville in Crawford County was canceled due to weather. Salerno also stated that there would be a 10% rise in the number of 2-year-olds attending the fairs in 2022. He said a meeting would be convened in January to sketch the program for 2023.

Early Results From Pennsylvania’s Equine Safety And Welfare Action Plan

The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission recently reported on the status of its Equine Safety and Welfare Plan, which includes a list of concrete initiatives to improve protections for horses racing at Pennsylvania’s six tracks. The measures included an Integrity Hotline for reporting suspected unlawful or unethical activities, which the commission began implementing on March 1, 2022.

“Early results from the hotline and other measures have been positive,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, who leads the group, has mentioned. “Implementing the approach will need a long-term commitment. The commission is dedicated to preserving the sport’s integrity as well as the safety and wellbeing of the horses and players for the long term.”

One of the plan’s ten measures was the creation of a horse mortality database. From July 1 through September 30, 2022, there were 19 Thoroughbred deaths, compared to 23 in the same time in 2021. To date, in 2022, there have been 13 fatalities at Parx Racing in Philadelphia, six at Penn National in Dauphin County, and none at Presque Isle Downs in Erie County. There were five harness racing fatalities from July 1 through September 30, 2022, compared to four at the same time in 2021. Two people died at The Meadows in Washington County, two people died at Pocono Downs in Luzerne County, and one person died at Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester County.

Other new procedures included an impartial, third-party study of each track’s racing surfaces. There were no documented racing surface difficulties between July 1 and September 30, 2022. Five horses were placed on the veterinarians’ list and judged ineligible to compete as a result of intensified commission veterinary inspection during morning workouts. Thirty horses were placed on the veterinarians’ list due to increased post-race surveillance and tougher requirements, and four were withdrawn from racing. Furthermore, 32 horses were placed on the veterinarians’ list during pre-race morning checks for lameness, unsoundness, or injury. And the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission does its best to prevent similar cases in the future.