Hoosier Park Racing & Casino announced the addition of 12 overnight series and special overnight races to complement Indiana’s most prestigious pacing race, the Dan Patch Stakes on Friday, August 12. With an estimated purse of $300,000, The Dan Patch Stakes will serve as Indiana’s richest harness race and will now be supported by an all-star, 14-race card that includes overnight series action.
"With Dan Patch weekend being the biggest racing event of the year we wanted to put together a solid undercard for our signature race,” Hoosier Park’s Director of Racing and Racing Secretary, Scott Peine noted. “In conjunction with the Dan Patch Stakes, hopefully these additional overnight series will bring the best out of some of our most competitive classes.”
All of the Dan Patch overnight series and races will be on Hoosier Park's condition sheets and can be found on Hoosier Park's website as soon as they are made available. To see a full list of the Dan Patch overnight series and special races, click here.
Each of the overnight series will be comprised of a preliminary leg with the finals being contested on Friday, August 12. Also included for the Dan Patch card is a $30,000 Gregg Haston Memorial Invitational pace. The race is named in honour of driver Gregg Haston, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1996. Haston, a native of Indiana, was the track's leading driver and trainer during the inaugural live racing season.
Once again, the Dan Patch Stakes will highlight the 2016 harness racing season as the best in the sport of harness racing will descend upon the seven-eighths mile oval seeking glory in Hoosier Park’s signature harness racing event. As part of a weekend long festival of entertainment and racing, the purse for the 2016 Dan Patch is estimated to be $300,000 with the field being comprised of the top ten highest lifetime money earners.
The race will be part of a special weekend tagged as “Dan Patch Festival Weekend” and will feature extreme entertainment, giveaways, and racing. The evening will also be complemented by dining specials and specialty wagers. On Saturday, Hoosier Park will host “Thrillyard 200” featuring helicopter rides, zip-lining and a food truck festival for racing fans. Live racing on Saturday will be held at an adjusted post time of 4:30 p.m. to prepare for a free concert by country music legends Asleep At The Wheel in the Outdoor Music Center at Hoosier Park. The entire evening will be culminated by a free fireworks show at 10:00 p.m.
(Hoosier Park)