Tuesday, February 11, 2025
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Harness Racing Driver Injured, Race Horse Euthanized at Pennsylvania’s Hollywood Casino at The Meadows

A harness-racing driver sustained injuries during a multi-cart accident on Saturday at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows in North Strabane Township, Pennsylvania.

During the race, the second-place horse slowed down, causing the wheels of two sulkies—carts used in harness racing—to lock up.

Mike Wilder, one of the sulkie drivers, was thrown onto the track as a result of the collision, as reported by Pennsylvania TV station KDKA. Wilder lost consciousness from the impact and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

Details on his injuries were not disclosed, but he was released from the hospital on Monday.

“He is at home, resting and recovering,” Wilder’s wife, Heather, told KDKA. “We are taking it one day at a time and appreciate everyone’s concern and well wishes. We are blessed to work together with these amazing animals that we consider family.”

A racehorse involved in the incident also sustained serious injuries and was euthanized, according to KDKA. No other horses were injured.

Two other drivers involved in the accident, Hunter Myers and Dave Palone, were uninjured and continued racing on Saturday.

Chuck Mull, a horse trainer at the harness track, called the accident “a very heartbreaking thing.”

“Every horseman feels for each other when that has to happen. Especially, when it has to happen on a horse track like that. We’re all in this together, you know, you’re working with friends, [and] family,” Mull told KDKA.”

The racetrack at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows is a five-eighths of a mile oval. Harness races are run over a mile, so races begin on a backstretch and go through three turns, according to online information.

The harness-racing track and casino are owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment, formerly known as Penn National Gaming, the oldest gaming operator in the state. Penn took over operations at The Meadows in 2018 through the company’s acquisition of Pinnacle Entertainment.

More than three years later, Penn added its Hollywood identity to the gaming property, changing its name from The Meadows Racetrack and Casino to Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.

The racetrack opened in 1963, while the casino began operations in 2007.

The complex is located about 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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