Labor pact reached at Philadelphia Park

Don't look now, but Philadelphia Park could be among the premier venues in the nation for thoroughbred horse racing within a few years. Management and horsemen at the track in Bensalem have long been at odds over perceived limited accommodations for racetrackers and dilapidated backstetch conditions.

But the announcement yesterday of a seven-year contract extension between the two sides clears the way for steady improvement at the facility through 2018 from revenues fueled from the year-old slots casino. Two years from now, a separate $250 million casino is expected to open on track property, and the grandstand, which primarily houses slot machines with one floor for racing fans, will return to a facility for horsemen and patrons. "We view this as a significant accomplishment," Bob Green, chairman of Greenwood Racing, which runs the track and casino, said in a joint release from the two sides. "We have always made it ...