Parx refunds all wagers on Wednesday race after tote delay

A tote delay turned into a race cancellation for wagering purposes on race 9 Wednesday at Parx, a decision made in part because the host track could not get a guarantee from tote provider Global Tote that pools closed when the race began.

The race was the penultimate on a 10-race card with an off time of 3:57 p.m. EST. Track management made the decision to refund all wagers, with multi-race bets paying out on "all." Race 10 concluded the card with an off time of 4:28 p.m.

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"We will be working with our tote provider to investigate the issue and to prevent future incidents,” Parx chief operating officer Joe Wilson said. "Our goal is to do right by our horseplayers, and we understand how frustrating these incidents can be."

In Pennsylvania, all three stewards are state employees who work for the Bureau of Thoroughbred Horse Racing, a department administrative commission for the state. Tom Chuckas is bureau director and said Thursday that stewards were involved in the situation.

"In situations like this, the (bureau) representatives, the stewards, are in constant contact with track management to make sure everyone is protected," Chuckas said. "The track has the final decision in that moment, and the stewards and bureau will review after the fact. The goal is to work collaboratively on issues. The more we all work together, the better we are."

Parx said in a statement released Thursday morning via track announcer and racing publicist Jessica Paquette that it made the decision to refund wagers "in the interest of integrity and after consulting with our tote provider."

The race results do count for recordkeeping purposes, and Parx paid out the $42,000 purse to the seven starters, with winner and Pennsylvania-bred Beyondexpectations receiving $35,280 and the sixth- and seventh-place finishers receiving $410 each. Live racing at Parx resumes Monday.