THE GREAT DA HOSS
By Dick JerardiIt was the early evening of Nov. 6, 1998. A few of us werewalking the entirety of the Churchill Downs Turf Course, led byMichael Dicksinson and his constant companion/assistant JoanWakefield. They were looking for the best and worst
JEFF MATTY’S LOVE OF HORSE RACING COMES TO THE PTHA
By Dick Jerardi Jeff Matty fell in love with horse racing at Philadelphia Park. His father, who always had a few horses, would take him to the track on Saturday mornings to watch the horses train. Then, they would go out
Parx Awards for 2021
January 24th, 2022 By Dick Jerardi When I went over each of the horses listed for all the categories on the 2021 Parx Horse of the Year ballot, it was hard not to relive all the wonderful performances we saw at the
THE PEGASUS AND THE PENNSYLVANIA BREDS
January 31st, 2022 By Dick Jerardi It was the perfect Bucks County afternoon as the snow and the temperatures came down. Sit in front of the laptop and watch the races from Gulfstream Park, awaiting the showdown between the almost certain 2021
DONNY BROWN AND JUST ONE TIME HIT THE BIG TIME
February 7th, 2022 By Dick Jerardi Donny Brown had watched his horses in plenty of races, but nothing like a Grade II at Gulfstream Park on Pegasus Day, the final Saturday of January. But there he was awaiting the Inside Information where he
BEST OF THE BEST IN 2021
February 14th, 2022 By Dick Jerardi The most fascinating Eclipse Award decision was definitely going to be 3-year-old male, annually one of the two, along with Horse of the Year, marquee categories. The voters had two great choices: Essential Quality or Medina Spirit.
2021 Horsemen’s Awards Banquet
Baby Clairiere 2021 Parx Year in Review By Dick Jerardi Keystone/Philadelphia Park/Parx is closing on its 50th anniversary. A strong case can be made that 2021 was the greatest year in the history of the race track. Pennsylvania Derby Day was back, delivering the
PARX MADNESS
March 10th, 2022 By Dick Jerardi It was the first full week of March so what better time for “Parx Madness?’’ Seven $100,000 stakes Monday and Tuesday named after local landmarks, starter allowances honoring local colleges and with a number of prominent basketball
SEVEN WEEKS TO THE DERBY
March 14th, 2022 By Dick Jerardi When the brackets appear for the NCAA Tournament, that can mean only one thing: it is less than 8 weeks until the May 7 Kentucky Derby. This has been an especially bizarre prep season because Bob Baffert-trained