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The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (PTHA) works hard to protect and provide for the Parx Racing horsemen through the guarantee of live racing, horsemen’s rights, health care and pension for horsemen, benevolence programs, and more.

 

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Dick Jerardi

  /    /  Dick Jerardi

Dick Jerardi

Turf Writer & Analyst

Special Achievement

Biography: Dick Jerardi became the horse racing writer at the Philadelphia Daily News in February 1985, so he has chronicled the sport at the same track with three different names: Keystone, Philadelphia Park and Parx Racing. He feels privileged that while covering every Triple Crown race since 1987, he was able to follow Philadelphia area horses Bet Twice (1987), Smarty Jones (2004), Afleet Alex (2005), Barbaro (2006) and Union Rags (2011), which collectively won seven Triple Crown races.

For 15 years, Jerardi has worked alongside fellow Parx Racing Hall of Fame members Bruce Casella and Keith Jones on “Let’s Go Racing”, a weekly television broadcast sponsored by the PTHA that airs weekly in the Philadelphia area. Since 2011, he has also been an on-air analyst for the Pennsylvania Derby live broadcast.

Jerardi is the recipient of a multitude of awards, including the 2006 Eclipse Award for his written series on Kentucky Derby hero Barbaro and the colt’s devastating injury in the Preakness Stakes. He is also a five-time winner of the Red Smith Award for Kentucky Derby coverage, a three-time Joe Hirsch Award winner for coverage of the Breeders’ Cup, and captured the David Woods Award for his coverage of the 2004 Preakness.

However, Jerardi’s most memorable continuing story was unquestionably the saga of Smarty Jones, who began his career at Philadelphia Park, was stabled there during the Triple Crown, and ended his career just one length short of the Triple Crown in front of the largest crowd in the history of Belmont Park. He will never forget the mornings watching Smarty train in isolation between the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, a reminder that the journey is every bit as rewarding as the result.

Dick and his wife Karen live in Yardley, Pa. The family includes son Brian, daughter-in-law Erin, granddaughter Lily and son Michael.