With the June 22, 2005 final ruling by the PA Supreme Court on the PA Gaming Act, horse racing’s future in PA is now very secure. According to Governor Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania horsemen can now expect PA to take the lead in the industry. He asserts that thoroughbred racing and breeding in PA will take a back seat to no other state. He has advocated on behalf of horsemen and breeders like no other governor before him. Pennsylvania is poised to move to the head of the thoroughbred class.

Slots implemented throughout the state will provide a financial windfall for race horse owners and breeders in the state. The PA law authorizes as many as 61,000 slot machines at 14 locations, including 6 racetracks. The race courses are Penn National in Harrisburg,  Presque Isle Downs in Erie, and Philadelphia Park for thoroughbreds, and The Meadows in Pittsburgh, Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, and Chester Downs in Chester for harness racing.

PA hopes to gain $1 billion in annual revenue from slots in a few years, which will triple purse money at the existing tracks. Purses at Philadelphia Park, which now average $125,000 a day, are expected to rise to between $300,000 and $400,000 a day, almost equaling purses at New York’s Belmont park ($551,475 a day) and Saratoga, and purses at Penn National are expect to rise from $70,000 a day to around $200,000. Philadelphia Park and Penn National now have 200 race days each, so that’s a total of 400 race days with purses of $200,000 to $400,000.

Ascoli Piceno Farm is ideally located for horsemen interested in easy access to both Philadelphia Park and Penn National Racecourse. In fact, the farm is within an easy drive of 10 thoroughbred racetracks up and the down the Mid-Atlantic seaboard including: 20 minutes from Delaware Park 1 hour from Philadelphia Park 90 minutes from Penn National 90 minutes from Pimlico or Timonium 2 hours from Laurel 2 hours from Monmouth or the Meadowlands 2 ½ hours from Belmont and Aqueduct