Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will kick off the 26th season of live harness racing on Friday evening with a total of 14-races, highlighted by full fields and quality racing.

A total of 128 horses have been entered for the season opener that includes eight races dedicated to the newly formed Harrah’s Hoosier Park Claiming Challenge. First post is 6:30 p.m.

All of Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s familiar betting options are back, with a few exciting additions and updates for the 2019 season. In partnership with the Unites States Trotting Association Strategic Wagering program and the Indiana Standardbred Association, Hoosier Park will feature a $20,000 Guaranteed Trifecta in race 10 on Wednesday nights and a $10,000 Guaranteed Pick-4 pool on Thursday nights in races 3 through 6.

New for 2019, Harrah’s Hoosier Park is proud to offer a $10,000 Guaranteed Hoosier High-5 pool every night during the month of April. With an industry low takeout of 12% and a minimum wager of 20 cents, the Hoosier High-5, which requires a bettor to select the first five finishers in a race in exact order, will be offered on the last race each night, provided there are at least seven entrants. If there are no winning tickets sold, the net money wagered that day will be carried over to the next day’s Hoosier High-5 pool.

“From the most sophisticated of handicappers to the most novice of bettors, Harrah’s Hoosier Park is pleased to be offering a variety of wagering opportunities that any racing fan will be comfortable with,” said Rick Moore, Harrah’s Hoosier Park vice president and general manager of racing.

Harrah’s Hoosier Park will also add Head-To-Head wagering, which provides bettors the opportunity to handicap inner-race match-ups, to the wagering menu on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the live racing season. The Head-To-Head wager, which will roll out on Friday, April 5, will feature a $2 minimum and is designed to offer matchups with a theoretical 50/50 chance of winning.

Additionally, Harrah’s Hoosier Park will provide racing fans the opportunity to “Bet With The Expert” on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays throughout the season. Like the Head-To-Head wager, the Bet With the Expert promotion was designed with the beginner bettor in mind. This promotion will allow guests to leave the handicapping to the in-house handicappers who will supply a variety of wagers for the evening’s live racing card with the cost of the tickets not to exceed $20.

Harrah’s Hoosier Park will once again offer a free handicapping contest each night of the week for on-track customers. In addition, racing fans will receive double Reward Credits for wagering on live races at both Indiana Grand and Harrah’s Hoosier Park when they wager using their Caesars Rewards card, which can be used for complementary offers throughout the season. There will be fun and excitement for both the casual and serious racing fans. Harrah’s Hoosier Park will offer a free, live racing program online on Saturdays in April and May along with featuring several handicapping tools for those that are new to the sport of harness racing.

Harrah’s Hoosier Park will once again place an emphasis on an expanded social media campaign to raise awareness and engagement around this year’s racing season. Racing fans will have the ability to ask questions, post comments and participate in promotions using social media. Utilizing the hashtag #PlayHP, racing fans and participants are encouraged to follow Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Facebook and Twitter for up to date information and promotions.

Live racing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will follow a Friday and Saturday schedule the opening week, a Thursday, Friday, and Saturday schedule the second week and then resume a Tuesday through Saturday schedule through the end of the meet on Nov. 9.

The 2019 live racing season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park will feature 160 days of live racing and will be headlined the $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes on Friday, August 9. The Dan Patch Stakes will serve as Indiana’s richest harness race with an estimated purse of $300,000, which annually attracts the top older pacers in North America. For more information on the upcoming entertainment or live racing schedule, please visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.

(Hoosier Park)