About Parx Racing

Formerly known as Philadelphia Park, Parx Casino and Racing is not just a thoroughbred horse racing track but also the largest casino complex in the whole of Pennsylvania.

24-hour gaming is offered on site featuring 3,500 slot machines, 140 live table games and a 60-table poker room.

The racing is the main draw of course, with live racing action on 175 days of the year and also simulcast racing offered in order for horseplayers to wager on tracks all around the country every single day.

Parx is home to Pennsylvania’s two most prestigious races, the $1,000,000 Pennsylvania Derby and the $500,000 Cotillion Handicap. The former originally served as a replacement on Memorial Day for the Jersey Derby after the grandstand at Garden State Park was destroyed.

These days the Derby is run on the last Saturday in September, making it a stopping off point for some horses looking to get to the Breeders’ Cup in November.

Visitors to Parx are certainly well catered for with 13 different dining and entertainment outlets on site situated in both main buildings including Parx East, an area open to the public since 2010.

Parx is in a handy position sitting only 16 miles from Trenton down the US-1 and less than 20 miles from downtown Philadelphia on the I-95 meaning attendances are not an issue.

Parx Racing History

Parx Racing has had a few incarnations, first of all as Keystone Racetrack upon opening in November 1974 when it replaced the old Liberty Bell Park as the area’s thoroughbred track.

Upon being sold in 1984 the track name was changed to Philadelphia Park after which a new turf course was installed at the site and by 1990 the track was sold again before simulcast racing was added.

In late August 2010 the track received its third name change in becoming Parx Racing and Casino and after this change some particularly prominent racehorses were seen strutting their stuff around this track, including Revidere and Spectacular Bid.

Those horses however pale into insignificance versus Smarty Jones, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner who made Parx his home and so narrowly missed out on a Triple Crown when running second in the Belmont Stakes.

Parx Racing Track Details

Parx features a dirt oval one mile in length with chutes on both stretches. The seven furlong turf course sits, as usual, to the inside of the dirt track.

Biggest Races

Parx Dash Handicap (Grade 3) – five furlongs, three-year-olds and older (July).
Dr. James Penny Memoral Handicap (Grade 3) – one and 1/16 miles, fillies, three-year-olds and older (July).
Turf Monster Handicap (Grade 3) – five furlongs (turf), three-year-olds and older (September).
Pennsylvania Derby (Grade 2) – one and 1/16 miles, three-year-olds (September).
Cotillion Handicap (Grade 1) – one and 1/16 miles, three-year-old fillies (September).

Place Your Bets At Parx With TVG!

Now you know all about the track at Parx, don’t forget you can wager on races there with TVG. Head to our schedules page to check out the latest race times then bet and watch live!

Address

2999 Street Rd, Bensalem, PA 19020, USA

Contact

Joe Wilson (jwilson@parxcasino.com)