With the return of live harness racing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino just a few weeks away, final preparations for the 29th season are well underway throughout the property.
Opening day of the 160-day meet is set for Friday, March 25. With a daily post time of 6:30 p.m. (EDT) this season, Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino returns to its traditional Tuesday through Saturday racing schedule for the 2022 racing season, with Tuesdays returning to the weekly schedule beginning on June 7.
The barn area opened on Saturday, March 5 for those horsepeople allotted stalls to begin moving in horses and equipment. The track, which for the very first time has remained open year-round for winter training, will be open to horsepeople for training on a Monday through Saturday schedule. All days of training will be subject to weather permitting. The paddock and ship-in area will also be open for those horsepeople wishing to ship in and train. All horses entering the grounds must have all valid paperwork required before being allowed entry to the grounds. Horsepeople returning to Harrah’s Hoosier Park for the 2022 season will witness sweeping improvements to the barn area, paddocks and racetrack throughout the season.
“We could not be more excited about the number of big-ticket capital projects we are about to undertake or have already undertaken,” noted Rick Moore, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “All of these projects are designed to make the Harrah’s Hoosier Park barn area the best it can possibly be for training and racing purposes as well as making Harrah’s Hoosier Park the best venue in harness racing for horsemen to race, without question.”
One of those items that will affect those racing on track and those watching is state of the art LED lighting that will be installed all the way around the seven-eighths Harrah’s Hoosier Park oval. A new track conditioner will also be on track as Harrah’s Hoosier Park remains committed to maintaining a racetrack that is both safe and fast for the equine athletes and horsepeople.
The racing surface itself won’t be the only area welcoming new LED lighting, the entire Harrah’s Hoosier Park barn area will feature new LED lighting to benefit both the Hoosier Park horsepeople and veterinarians. Other changes horsepeople can expect to see on the Harrah’s Hoosier Park backstretch include upgrades to the sound system in the barn area as well as new big screen televisions in the paddocks to improve the audio and visual presentation for horsemen racing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in 2022.
The 2022 racing season will extend the furthest into the winter in Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s racing history with the meet extending to Saturday, Dec. 10. With the cool temperatures the Midwest winters bring, Harrah’s Hoosier Park will be installing a new radiant heat system in both paddock barns to help alleviate the brisk temperatures late in the season.
In addition to the property improvements, the 2022 season will include Monday holiday cards of live racing on Memorial Day, Independence Day as well as Labor Day. Harrah’s Hoosier Park is currently working on events and promotions to make these three holiday cards special event days within the Anderson community. Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s championship season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 12 with the 29th renewal of the track’s signature event, the $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes and continues through Nov. 25. In all, Harrah’s Hoosier Park will host Grand Circuit racing on eight dates in the 2022 racing calendar with an estimated total purses of $3,350,000 in Open Stakes. The 2022 Stakes Schedule at Harrah’s Hoosier Park can be viewed here.
(With files from Harrah's Hoosier Park)