Hoosier To Host ISS Finals Saturday

Published: June 7, 2014 01:46 am EDT

Indiana’s finest trotters and pacers will be in the spotlight at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Saturday, June 7 for the annual Hoosier Champions Night, the first of five rounds of $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes finals.

A total of 14 races have been established and after the dust settles, four new Indiana Sires Stakes champions will be crowned. The first race will line up behind the starting gate at 5:15 p.m.

Hoosier Park’s leading conditioner, Ron Burke, will send out six horses in the four $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes finals on the evening. Rose Run Parker will put his seven-race win streak on the line from the Burke barn in the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stake final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings from post nine with Ricky Macomber Jr. at the lines. Just one race later, Speed Trap will look to score his first Indiana Sires Stakes final win in the three-year-old pacing colt division for the Burke Stable at 5-1 on the morning line.

Hoosier Park will once again partner with HRTV, the Network for Horse Sports, to offer racing fans a great weekend of harness racing action through exclusive coverage of Hoosier Champions night at Hoosier Park.

Revamped for the 2014 season, the Indiana Sires Stakes program features five legs throughout the season, and from each leg, the top 20 horses return to compete in a final and consolation. The 2014 stakes season will culminate with the top 10 horses from each of the previous $75,000 finals returning to compete in a $200,000 Super Final on October 18 at Hoosier Park.

In addition to the racing program that boasts lofty purses for the Indiana stakes program, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will offer racing fans a unique opportunity to watch, wager, and witness horse racing history with the running of the 146th Belmont Stakes. When California Chrome enters the starting gate for the 2014 Belmont Stakes, a 1-1/2 mile event, he could become the first Triple Crown winner in 36 years.

Hoosier Park will welcome guests with extended hours, advanced wagering, live harness racing, and dining specials to take in the excitement of California Chrome’s run for racing history. Doors will open at 10 a.m. with the first race from Belmont Park getting underway at 11:35 a.m. The first four harness races from Hoosier Park will lead into the main event from Belmont, which has an estimated post time of 6:52 p.m.

In addition to the horse racing action on the track, Hoosier Park will play host to the fourth annual Guns ‘N Hoses event. The event pits local police officers and firefighters against one another in a series of challenges to benefit the Fire Rescue House of Madison County. The challenges will begin after the start of live harness racing and range from a foot race carrying Hoosier Park drivers to a dunk tank. Guns & Hoses, open to all ages, is free to the public and will start at approximately 5 p.m. in the Yard.

At the culmination of the challenges, Hoosier Park’s Vice President and General Manager of Racing, Rick Moore, will present representatives from the Fire Rescue House of Madison County with a special $5,000 donation. As a token of Hoosier Park’s appreciation for their continued work to help local families in need, Hoosier Park will make the donation to help further their goals and maintain their high level of community service.

As a special thank you to Madison County local heroes, all firefighters and police officers will receive $10 in casino cash. Guests showing fire department or police department credentials to the Trackside Club Centaur Rewards desk will receive the $10 complimentary gift.

(With files from Hoosier Park)

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