Hoosier Park Racing & Casino is set to open its racetrack for training as final preparations are underway for the 22nd season of live harness racing.
The 160-day meet will begin Friday, March 27 offering live racing through Saturday, November 14, with a daily post time of 5:15 p.m. EST.
Hoosier Park will allow horsemen to ship-in to use the racetrack for training beginning Thursday, March 12. The track and paddock area will be open from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. for ship-in training and track usage by horsemen, weather permitting.
"After a long, long, cold winter, it is with eager anticipation we prepare to open the track for training," noted Rick Moore, Hoosier Park's vice president and general manager of racing. "Also, the first day of training means the beginning of the 2015 meet is not far behind and we are very excited to get started."
The first round of qualifiers at Hoosier Park is slated for Saturday, March 14 and again on Wednesday, March 18, with an estimated start time of 10 a.m. Hoosier Park will also offer qualifiers on Saturday, March 21 to allow horsemen another opportunity to qualify their horses prior to the start of the meet. The entry box will close for these qualifiers one day prior at 10 a.m.
A special set of evening qualifiers is slated for Wednesday, March 25 beginning at 5:15 p.m. and will serve as a "dress rehearsal" for live racing. Qualifiers will continue to be conducted on a Wednesday and Saturday schedule throughout the remainder of the meet.
All horses entering the grounds must have valid paperwork and all personnel must be licensed by Tuesday, March 24 by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) before entering the grounds. No one will be permitted to take a horse onto the Hoosier Park racetrack without being licensed by the IHRC at any time. The IHRC licensing office at Hoosier Park will open on Tuesday, March 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for anyone who needs to obtain a license.
The first condition sheet has been made available and can be found on Hoosier Park's website. Horsemen should also be advised that Hoosier Park will offer several new overnight series for the 2015 racing calendar. All of the overnight series will be on Hoosier Park's condition sheets and can be found on Hoosier Park's website as soon as they are made available.
Live racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will follow a Friday, Saturday schedule the opening week; a Thursday, Friday, Saturday schedule the second week; and then resume a Tuesday through Saturday schedule throughout the remainder of the meet.
For more information on the live racing season or the upcoming entertainment at Hoosier Park, please visit hoosierpark.com
(With files from Hoosier Park)