Beginning on Friday, June 26, Harrah's Hoosier Park horsemen will see a purse increase go into effect on races that are non-winners of X amount last four races, the third purse increase instituted for the 2026 meet.
"This is the third phase of our targeted purse increase for the 2026 season," said John De Long, president of the Indiana Standardbred Association. "This comes after careful budgeting for the 160-day meet, and it's something we hope to continue to build upon for our horsemen."
This is the third 20 per cent purse rise to be put into place in 2026. That increase also impacts non-winners of X amount of races lifetime (both straight and claiming), as well as Indiana-sired two-year-old conditioned events receiving a 20 per cent boost from Indiana Standardbred Breed Development this summer.
"We deeply appreciate both the Indiana Standardbred Association and Breed Development for their support as we implement these boosts to our purses," said Gabe Prewitt, Vice President and General Manager of Racing at Hoosier Park. "We also deeply appreciate our horseplayers, with their support handle was up 30 per cent year-over-year in 2025, and we are already up another 10 per cent in 2026, which has contributed greatly to drive purses forward."
The increase occurs as Hoosier Park enters the peak of its racing season, racing five days a week with a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule. Racing takes place at 5:30 p.m. The championship season, headlined by the Grade 1 $300,000 USD Dan Patch Stakes presented by Indiana Standardbred Breed Development on Friday, Aug. 14, is rapidly approaching. Other signature events still to come include the Grade 2 Caesars Trotting Classic presented by Kountry Lane Standardbreds (Sept. 25) and Hoosier Champions Night (Oct. 9).
While the racing action heats up, so too do the on-track promotions during the summer months at Hoosier Park. The summer line-up is headlined by fireworks following the conclusion of live racing on Saturday, July 4. The premier destination in the city of Anderson, Ind. for fireworks, the track prepares for the United States Semiquincentennial following a record turnout of more than 4,000 in 2025. The Fourth of July program will have a standard first post of 5:30 p.m. and also features a free concert by My Yellow Rickshaw in addition to trackside entertainment during live racing.
Other family fun events include Empire of Hope, a fundraiser for the Standardbred Transition Alliance, on Saturday, July 25. Complete with rides, carnival games, food trucks and more, Empire of Hope will also include the Reins To The Road drawings, with more than $30,000 USD in prizes on the line including a camper, a zero-turn mower and more. There will also be a free Amish country dinner available on the track apron during this event while supplies last. Hoosier Park raised a record $75,000 USD for the Standardbred Transition Alliance in 2025.
Every night of the racing season, guests can enjoy beer specials, with $2 USD Busch Lights and $5 USD domestic drafts available at all trackside outlets during live racing.
(Hoosier Park)