At a time when most tracks consider the status quo to be a great accomplishment when it comes to maintaining handle, Hoosier Park has bucked the trend with a sensational all-sources handle increase of 27% through the first 140 days of the meet.

Building on the successes of the 2012 Standardbred season, Hoosier Park’s 20th season of live harness racing continues to produce encouraging gains on all fronts.

With a renewed focus on fresh marketing efforts, facility enhancements, specialty wagers, and an increase in overall quality of racing, Hoosier Park has been grabbing the attention of bettors throughout the country.

In its 20th season of live harness racing, Hoosier Park is in the midst of its fastest season to date. Hoosier Park’s track surface continues to sizzle as 24 track records have been re-established this season. Uncle Peter recently lowered the overall track record for older horses on the trot to 1:52.3 in the $230,000 Centaur Trotting Classic on Saturday, September 21. Drivers like Ed Hensley, Tyler Smith and Trace Tetrick have been leading the way. Smith also reached harness racing history at Hoosier Park as he become the youngest driver to record 1,000 career wins at 20 years-old.

“The track has been phenomenal this season,” Smith noted. “The horses have responded really well to the new surface and I think it shows in the number of track records we’ve seen this year. Hoosier Park has done a great job of not only promoting the sport but promoting me as well. It has been a pleasure to race here all season.”

The 2013 meet has also seen horses like the 2012 Pacer of the year and World Champion, Captaintreacherous, world record holder, A Rocknroll Dance, and the 2013 Dan Patch Invitational winner Bolt The Duer, visit the Hoosier Park winner’s circle.

Fresh off his win in the 2013 Breeders Crown, Captaintreacherous heads the list of nominations for the 2013 edition of the $250,000 Monument Circle pace for three-year-old colts and geldings slated for Friday, November 1 at Hoosier Park.

“These results have really exceeded my most optimistic expectations,” Hoosier Park’s Vice President and General Manager of Racing, Rick Moore noted. “It’s almost unheard of in this day and age for a track to post double digit increases, especially for a meet stretching from Spring to Fall. We would like to thank everyone involved in our successes, most importantly our partnership with the Indiana Standardbred Association, our horseman, our drivers and our customers for their contributions to making this our most successful meet to date.”

Live racing at Hoosier Park will follow a Tuesday through Saturday schedule, with a daily post time of 5:30 p.m. The 160-day, all harness racing meet began on April 2 and will be conducted through November 9.

(Hoosier Park)