Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, in partnership with the Harness Horse Youth Foundation and the Anderson School Corporation, will host a series of field trips for the fourth grade students in Madison County on Wednesday, September 27 and Thursday, September 28. The initiative is back by popular demand after Hoosier Park successfully hosted field trips in 2016 as part of Indiana’s Bicentennial Celebration.
The field trips will once again offer a hands-on introduction to harness racing and the history of harness racing in the state of Indiana. The event will give more than 600 young children the opportunity to see live harness racing and learn the importance of the Standardbred industry in Indiana’s economy.
The Harness Horse Youth Foundation and volunteers will provide interactive history lessons of harness racing in Indiana along with demonstrations of the various aspects involved in harness racing. The students will have the opportunity to sit in a race bike and learn about the equipment a harness horse wears when racing through live demonstrations.
Students will also get a “behind the scenes” look at harness racing through backside tours provided by Hoosier Park trainer, Jamie Macomber. Some of Hoosier Park’s leading drivers will also be on hand to answer questions and sign autographs for the students. Hoosier Park will provide each student with a free t-shirt, a lucky horseshoe, and souvenir cards featuring facts and pictures of some of Indiana’s most famous racehorses which can be used in the classroom following the field trips.
In conjunction with the field trips, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will host “Community Night at the Races” in honour of all of the Anderson & Madison County students on Friday, September 29. The evening celebration will include free games, activities, contests, face painting, live entertainment, carnival fare and giveaways. Additionally, Hoosier Park will host an exhibition race prior to the start of live racing featuring some of Hoosier Park’s leading drivers paired with three local principals in double-seated jog carts. A free, hot air balloon glow will culminate the entire evening at the conclusion of live racing.
With a daily post time of 6:30 p.m., live racing at Hoosier Park will follow a Tuesday through Saturday schedule and be conducted through November 17. The 24th season of live harness racing is highlighted by the 34th edition of the Breeders Crown, harness racing’s championship event valued at $6 million, on Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28. For more information on the upcoming entertainment and live racing schedule, please visit www.hoosierpark.com.
(Hoosier Park)