Officials with the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Authority visited Parx on Monday and Tuesday accompanied by turf surface experts. The team conducted a track evaluation, collected soil samples and performed moisture and consistency tests, which will be compared with previous results.

Parx suspended its turf races last week after horsemen raised concerns about the safety of course. In a turf race on Aug. 24, 5-year-old Causes Trouble fell and injured his left front leg and was euthanized after being vanned off.

At the time of the HISA evaluation, all divots had been filled with growing medium. But there was a noticeable lack of moisture in the track surface. Track management explained the irrigation system was down for maintenance.

HISA officials met with Parx horsemen and Jeff Matty, executive director of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, to provide updates on the ongoing review and demonstrate the Racing Services Testing Laboratory track-surface testing procedures.

On Wednesday the irrigation system was operational, and a portion of the turf course was aerated. Track management committed to completing additional steps over the next two weeks, aiming to resume turf racing on Sept. 16 and concluding Sept. 21, Pennsylvania Derby day. A representative of HISA’s track surface advisory group will visit Parx for another evaluation prior to the track re-opening. HISA will continue working with Parx management to evaluate the ongoing efforts and develop a comprehensive long-term plan to upgrade the turf surface.