As Harrah’s Hoosier Park prepares for its rapidly approaching 32nd season of live harness racing, qualifier dates have been set for 2025 in advance of Opening Day on Friday, March 14.
The first qualifier at Hoosier Park will be held on Saturday, March 1, with a first post time of 10 a.m. From that point forward, qualifiers will be held on the seven-eighth-mile oval each Wednesday and Saturday with a first post of 10 a.m. The lone exception will be when Hoosier hosts its “dress rehearsal” qualifiers on Wednesday, March 12, which will feature a first post time of 5 p.m. Drivers will be expected to be in full colours for the evening qualifiers as the track prepares for Opening Day just two days later. The entry box will close one day before each qualifier session at noon.
Live racing will return to the Anderson, Indiana oval on Friday, March 14, what will kick off Fan Appreciation Weekend. Race fans will be welcomed back to the track with a wide array of giveaways, handicapping contests, interactive promotions, guaranteed wagers and much more as racing returns.
The 2025 season will closely mirror that of the 2024 race schedule, with a few minor changes agreed upon between both Harrah’s Hoosier Park and the Indiana Standardbred Association. The March 14 start date is a week before that of the opening of the 2024 season. Racing will begin with a two-day (Friday and Saturday) schedule for the first two weeks of the 2025 season, a three-day (Thursday through Saturday) schedule the following two weeks, before beginning a four-day (Wednesday through Saturday) schedule on Wednesday, April 9. From there, the 2025 season will look much like 2024, with a five-day (Tuesday through Saturday) racing schedule from Tuesday, June 24, through Saturday, Oct. 25.
In 2025, Hoosier Park will have a standard first post time of 6:15 p.m. for each night of racing, including Saturdays, aside from signature event days, which will have special post times in effect. The cards for both the 32nd Dan Patch Stakes (Friday, Aug. 8) and eighth Caesars Trotting Classic (Friday, Sept. 19) will both begin at 6 p.m., as they did in 2024. Additionally, Hoosier will once again offer a 4 p.m. post time on the first Saturday in May (May 3), splitting the card to around the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in efforts to introduce more of the Derby Day crowd to racing at Hoosier.
(With files from Hoosier Park)