Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, in partnership with the Harness Horse Youth Foundation (HHYF) and the Anderson School Corporation, will welcome nearly 600 fourth grade students from the Madison County community on Tuesday, Sept. 18 and Wednesday, Sept. 19 to participate in interactive field trips designed to broaden their understanding of the immense historical, economic and cultural importance of the harness racing industry in Indiana.
Now in its third year, the field trips will offer a hands-on introduction to harness racing and the history of harness racing in the state of Indiana. The HHYF and volunteers will provide interactive history lessons of harness racing in Indiana along with demonstrations of the various aspects involved in harness racing. The students will have the opportunity to sit in a race bike and learn about the equipment a harness horse wears when racing through live demonstrations.
Students will also get a “behind the scenes” look at harness racing through backside tours provided by Hoosier Park trainers. Some of Hoosier Park’s leading drivers will also be on hand to answer questions and sign autographs for the students. The students will enjoy lunch at Hoosier Park followed by a mock race.
Each student will receive a free book bag compliments of the Indiana Standardbred Association and Hoosier Park will provide each student with a free t-shirt, a lucky horseshoe and educational information about harness racing, equipment, and terms. To encourage further learning, souvenir cards featuring facts and pictures of some of Indiana’s most famous racehorses will also be sent home with the students.
On Friday, Sept. 21, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will host “Community Night at the Races” in honor of all of the Anderson & Madison County students. The evening celebration will include free games, activities, contests, face painting, live entertainment, carnival fare and giveaways.
In conjunction with the field trips, guests of Hoosier Park Racing & Casino are invited to donate $5 to the HHYF to receive $5 in casino cash. The goal is to raise funds to provide the HHYF to further their mission to provide young people and their families with information and experiences with harness horses in order to foster the next generation of fans and participants.
Additionally, the first 1,000 racing fans to visit Trackside Club Centaur on Friday will receive a Caesars Trotting Classic hat. Racing fans are invited to enjoy $2 hot dogs, fall treats and other dining specials.
In conjunction with the community festivities, Hoosier Park will host a weekend of Grand Circuit racing action for the second time this season. On Friday, Hoosier Park will host a standout card that includes the inaugural edition of the $200,000 Caesars Trotting Classic, The $200,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes for two-year-old trotting and pacing fillies and the $175,000 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby. First post is 6:30 p.m.
(Hoosier Park)