Parx Racing at Park Casino — The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association

Home to the million-dollar Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion Stakes, Parx Racing serves as the epicenter of premier Thoroughbred racing in eastern Pennsylvania.

Racing Type: Thoroughbred
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Crowd watching thoroughbreds race

3001 Street Road, Bensalem, PA 19020

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About The Track

Located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania — just outside Philadelphia — Parx Racing features year-round Thoroughbred racing on its one-mile main dirt track, alongside Parx Casino, the largest casino complex in the state.

TRACK HISTORY

Parx has changed names a few times over the years. When it opened in November of 1974, the track was called Keystone Racetrack. In 1984, ITB bought Keystone and renamed it Philadelphia Park. It changed hands a few more times and was eventually renamed Parx Racing and Casino in 2010.

RACE HISTORY

This track is home to two premier thoroughbred races: the Pennsylvania Derby and the Cotillion Handicap. Parx held the first Pennsylvania Derby in 1979, which was won by Smarten. The Cotillion is the oldest major stakes race, having originally run in 1969 at Pennsylvania’s first track, Liberty Bell. When Liberty Bell closed, Cotillion found a new home at Parx, where it continues to be a major race for 3-year-old fillies.

TRACK FACTS

  • Notable horses who have raced at Parx include: Spectacular Bid, My Juliet, Gallant Bob, Broad Brush, and Dainty Dotsie. 
  • Parx is the largest casino gambling complex in the Commonwealth. 
  • Pennsylvania-bred legend Smarty Jones was trained on-site at Parx by John Servis before going on to capture national fame by winning the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

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