Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission at its October 27 meeting approved delegation of duties orders for the new directors of its two racing bureaus.
As reported in August, Michael “Mickey” Peterson and Eric Smith were hired by the PHRC to serve as the respective directors of the Standardbred and Thoroughbred bureaus.
Peterson, who has been involved in the harness racing industry for more than 40 years, began as a driver and trainer based at Pocono Downs in the mid-1980s. Since 2016 he has served as a judge in multiple jurisdictions and most recently served as state steward at Meadowlands.
Smith got interested in racing in Michigan in the early 2000s and eventually enrolled in the Racetrack Industry Program at the University of Arizona. He most recently served as senior state steward for the Indiana Horse Racing Commission at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Smith provided the PHRC with an update on the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory (PETRL), which in July 2025 had its laboratory accreditation suspended by the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), which falls under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).
There is a reaccreditation audit by HIWU scheduled for mid-November, but no defined timeline for reinstatement. PETRL has not be able to perform Thoroughbred drug testing—the PHRC contracted with Industrial Laboratories after the suspension—but has been handling all drug testing for the Pennsylvania Standardbred industry, which is not governed by HISA.
PHRC chairman Russell Redding said the “uncertainty has been a challenge to manage,” and that he hopes the upcoming probationary audit is “positive and productive” and results in the reinstatement of PETRL’s accreditation.