Penn National has announced effective Thursday, April 16 it will conduct live racing two nights a week - Thursdays and Fridays - through April 29. The Thursday, April 30 race card will be cancelled to accommodate live racing on May 1 and Kentucky Derby Day May 2. The track has previously cancelled the Wednesday, April 15 race card.
A return to racing three nights a week is scheduled to commence May 6 with a Wednesday through Friday schedule.
"The combination of an overall diminished horse supply and regional tracks being less receptive to horses shipping off their grounds has impacted entries for us so far this month," said Scott Lishia, Director of Racing at Penn National Race Course.
As an added incentive to bolster field size, effective with the April 16 race card any dirt race with seven (7) or more starters will carry an owner's bonus of $500 for each horse. The bonus will also apply to turf races that are moved to the main track.
"We appreciate the collaboration with the PA HBPA in offering this incentive program. Competition for entries is fierce in the Mid Atlantic region, especially coming into the late spring and summer months, so we are hopeful this incentive will help solidify our field size and competitiveness during that time frame," added Lishia.
Penn National's nightly post time is 5:45 p.m. except for Saturday, May 2 (Kentucky Derby Day - 2 p.m.) and Friday, May 29, when the $400,000 Grade 3 PENN Mile will highlight a stakes filled card starting at 5 p.m.
