Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course will donate a total of $10,000 to three equine aftercare organizations on Penn Mile Day, June 1.
The three groups that will benefit from the Pennsylvania track's efforts are CANTER of Pennsylvania, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, and ReRun. Daily Racing Form has also donated hats and handicapping books to the track which will be sold for $15 each that day to benefit the aftercare charities.
Penn Mile's June 1 live racing card is headlined by the inaugural running of the $500,000 Penn Mile, a one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and the richest race ever run in Central Pennsylvania.
The card will also include the $250,000 Mountainview Handicap, $150,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup, $50,000 Penn Dash, and a pair of $60,000 six furlong dirt sprints for Pennsylvania-bred or Pennsylvania-sired horses. It will be the richest day of racing in the 40-year history of Penn National.
HRTV will provide race day coverage of the Penn Mile, including in-studio commentary and analysis, online features, and promotions during the week leading up to the events.
Post time will be 6 p.m. ET and the Penn Mile is scheduled as the fourth race on the card with an approximate 7:22 p.m. post.
Another feature of Penn Mile Day will be the "Painting Racehorse," Metro Meteor, who will take up residence in a portable stall on the Penn National apron area. Fifty of the gelding's "Metro Mini" paintings will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting New Vocations. Fans will be able to see Metro Meteor, and it is also possible he will put paintbrush to canvas and display his artistic flair at some point during the evening.
Ten-year-old Metro Meteor has become a sensation by virtue of his artistic prowess. After earning nearly $300,000 on the track and finishing his racing career in 2009 at Penn National for Renpher Stables, Metro was adopted by Ron and Wendy Krajewski.
He spent two years as a riding horse, but knee problems curtailed his physical activities. That's when Ron Krajewski, an artist himself, decided to teach Metro to paint by holding a brush in his mouth.
To date, Metro's paintings have sold for more than $32,000, with half of the proceeds going to benefit New Vocations. Metro has developed a substantial fan following via his website and Facebook page and was recently the focus of a TV story that appeared on the TODAY Show.