New Parx exec has been around

David Osojnak is settling in as the new director of racing at Parx and assessing where improvements can be made at the Bensalem, Pa., track.

Osojnak replaces Sam Elliott, who left Parx in April. Assistant racing secretary Tom Creel filled in during the interim.

“My goal is to make Parx as strong as possible, to grow the product,” Osojnak said. “I’m going through stall applications right now. Maybe we can get some new horsemen here from Woodbine or Finger Lakes when their meets close. I’m not here to reinvent the wheel, but maybe we can tweak some things and make them work better.”

Osojnak, 50, is a native of Queens, N.Y., who “fell in love with racing” when his father began taking him to the track as a teenager. While attending the University of Arizona Racetrack Industry Program in 2010 and 2011, he did an internship at Parx under Sal Sinatra – now president of the Maryland Jockey Club.

“I loved it here during my internship,” Osojnak said. “I liked the team.”

For the last four years, Osojnak – or Dave O, if you prefer – has worked in the racing department at the New York Racing Association, most recently as assistant racing secretary.

Osojnak does not have the typical background of a racing official. After graduating from Penn State with an economics degree, he worked in the New York City banking industry for five years. During that time, he attended night school and earned a law degree.

For the next 10 years, Osojnak practiced real estate law on Long Island. But he wasn’t satisfied with that line of work and decided to make a career change.

“I didn’t know anyone in the racing industry,” he said. “I wanted to get a good foundation, so I went to the University of Arizona Racetrack Industry program for 1 1/2 years.”

Osojnak has worn a dizzying number of hats since graduating.

He worked as a consultant for the media ventures division of The Jockey Club in New York, and then for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance in New York and in Lexington, Ky. He then moved on to Equibase as a supervisor in customer service, processing entries from the tracks and disseminating the information.

Osojnak was next hired by Mike Anifantis as an official in the Calder racing office, the year before the track became Gulfstream Park West. He also worked in the Monmouth Park racing office for Mike Dempsey.

During this time, Osojnak became an accredited steward.

Osojnak’s goal at Parx is to run a clean ship and give all horsemen the same opportunities.

“Being an attorney, ethics is very important to me,” Osojnak said. “It was a big part of my education. That’s how I pride myself. Working in real estate, I would manage escrow accounts with millions of dollars in them.

“I treat everyone the same, whether you’re the biggest trainer on the grounds or have two horses.”

Parx Racing plans charity raffle

The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will raffle off halters worn by Songbird and Arrogate to benefit the Turning for Home horse retirement program at Parx Racing.

Raffle tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Turning for Home Office, its merchandise tables at Parx, or online at https://patha.org/halter-raffle.

The raffle will be held Breeders’ Cup Saturday (Nov. 3) at 3 p.m. in the Parx grandstand.

In 2016, Turning for Home raised $7,000 raffling off a halter from Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The proceeds helped fund several surgeries needed by horses in the Turning for Home program.

The first raffle ticket selected will award the Songbird halter collection, which includes a worn Songbird halter with nameplate and certificate of authenticity, a replica Songbird Cotillion Stakes saddle towel, a Songbird T-shirt, a poster signed by jockey Mike Smith, and a framed 8” x 10” Songbird photo.

The second ticket pulled will be for the Arrogate halter collection, which includes a worn Arrogate halter with nameplate, certificate of authenticity, and a photo of Bob Baffert signing the certificate, plus an autographed, framed 8” x 10” Arrogate photo, a Juddmonte Farm hoodie, and miscellaneous collectible magazines featuring Arrogate.

Charles Town schedule

The West Virginia Racing Commission has approved the first several months of the 2019 Charles Town racing schedule, which will include 60 live cards from Jan. 9 through April 20.

Racing will be held Wednesdays through Saturdays with a first post of 7 p.m. Eastern. Charles Town Classic Day, which is tentatively scheduled for April 20, will have a 12:30 p.m. first post.

Charles Town, in collaboration with the local division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, has requested a total of 162 racing days in 2019. The commission is expected to rule on the remainder of the schedule in the coming months.