Pennsylvania Breeders

In the wake of the COVID-19 shutdown, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association released the rundown of the payment structure for the remainder of the 2020 season. Breeder awards, which will remain at the same rate as before the closure, will include an additional 25% for maiden races (first through third). The breakdown is: 50% for PA-Sired PA-Breds and 25% for non-PA-Sired PA-Breds. Breeder awards in all other races will remain at 40% and 20%, respectively. Additionally, owner bonuses will remain unchanged: Parx will be at 40%, Penn National at 20%...

Northview Stallion Station announced Monday that it plans to close its Pennsylvania operation and operate solely in Maryland. Northview is the leading breeder in Pennsylvania, where the future of the racing and breeding industries are uncertain after Gov. Tom Wolf announced his intentions in February to divert $200 million from Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Fund to a program that would create scholarships for Pennsylvania residents applying to colleges in the state. But Northview General Manager/Director of Sales David Wade said the decision to close the Pennsylvania operation had nothing to...

Following Governor Tom Wolf's visits to Kutztown and East Stroudsburg Universities, local Pennsylvania residents spoke out in opposition to his plan to raid $204 million from a trust fund used for horse breeder incentives and racing purses to pay for his new college scholarship plan. The money in the fund, which is paid for out of casino slot machine revenues and are not taxpayer dollars, serves as the lifeblood of the state's horse breeding and racing industry by funding purses and breeder incentives. Under the Governor's proposal, there would be...

This week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN's Writers' Room Podcast, Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Executive Director Pat Cummings, implored the racing industry to learn from what has happened in Pennsylvania and to end what he sees as decades of complacency. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has submitted a budget that calls for $204 million to be diverted from the state's Race Horse Development Fund and used for a program that would provide college scholarships for Pennsylvania residents. Should the money, which comes from slot machines proceeds, be taken...

A day after receiving the potentially devastating news that as much as 80% of the slots money that goes to purses in the state of Pennsylvania may be diverted elsewhere, leaders of the state's breeding industry began to plot a campaign that they hope will convince politicians that the industry must be protected. Tuesday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf unveiled a budget proposal which called for $204 million to be taken out of the Race Horse Development Fund and diverted to a program that would provide college scholarships for Pennsylvania residents....