Parx Racing plans charity raffle for Turning for Home

The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will raffle off halters worn by Songbird and Arrogate to benefit the Turning for Home horse retirement program at Parx Racing.

Raffle tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Turning for Home Office, its merchandise tables at Parx, or online at https://patha.org/halter-raffle.

The raffle will be held Breeders’ Cup Saturday (Nov. 3) at 3 p.m. in the Parx grandstand.

In 2016, Turning for Home raised $7,000 raffling off a halter from Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The proceeds helped fund several surgeries needed by horses in the Turning for Home program.

The first raffle ticket selected will award the Songbird halter collection, which includes a worn Songbird halter with nameplate and certificate of authenticity, a replica Songbird Cotillion Stakes saddle towel, a Songbird T-shirt, a poster signed by jockey Mike Smith, and a framed 8” x 10” Songbird photo.

The second ticket pulled will be for the Arrogate halter collection, which includes a worn Arrogate halter with nameplate, certificate of authenticity, and a photo of Bob Baffert signing the certificate, plus an autographed, framed 8” x 10” Arrogate photo, a Juddmonte Farm hoodie, and miscellaneous collectible magazines featuring Arrogate.

Charles Town early 2019 schedule announced

The West Virginia Racing Commission has approved the first several months of the 2019 Charles Town racing schedule, which will include 60 live cards from Jan. 9 through April 20.

Racing will be held Wednesdays through Saturdays with a first post of 7 p.m. Eastern. Charles Town Classic Day, which is tentatively scheduled for April 20, will have a 12:30 p.m. first post.

Charles Town, in collaboration with the local division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, has requested a total of 162 racing days in 2019. The commission is expected to rule on the remainder of the schedule in the coming months.