Harrah’s Hoosier Park has announced that it is officially set to begin the 27th season of live harness racing at the track on Tuesday, June 16.
In close coordination with industry stakeholders and government regulators, Harrah’s Hoosier Park has outlined a detailed plan to safely host its first card of racing since the end of the 2019 season. Entries for the season opener will be drawn on Thursday, June 11 (the entry box will close at 1 p.m.).
The 2020 live racing season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park will feature a reduced number of live racing programs, as 111 race dates will follow a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule throughout the season. First-race post times will be at 6:30 p.m. Live racing will be conducted through November 21 and will be held in a spectator-free manner until further notice.
“I want to again thank Governor Eric Holcomb, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, the Indiana Standardbred Association and Caesars Entertainment for all the hard work and collaboration that went into making the start of horse racing in Indiana possible,” said Rick Moore, Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s vice president and general manager of racing. “We share a full commitment to the success of the racing program and look forward to presenting a racing season that all stakeholders will be proud of.”
All of Harrah’s Hoosier Park’s familiar betting options will be returning, but a few updates will also be featured for the 2020 season. In partnership with the Unites States Trotting Association Strategic Wagering program and the Indiana Standardbred Association, Hoosier Park will once again feature a $10,000 Guaranteed Pick-4 pool on Thursday nights in races 3 through 6. Hoosier Park will also continue to offer other specialty guaranteed wagers on various nights throughout the season.
Harrah’s Hoosier Park is proud to offer a $10,000 Guaranteed Hoosier High-5 pool in the last race of the program every Tuesday through Friday for the duration of the live racing season. With an industry low takeout of 12 per cent and a minimum wager of 20 cents, the Hoosier High-5, which requires a bettor to select the first five finishers in a race in exact order, will be offered on the last race each night, provided there are at least seven entrants. If there are no winning tickets sold, the net money wagered that day will be carried over to the next day’s Hoosier High-5 pool.
Harrah’s Hoosier Park will offer a free, live racing program online for the first week of live racing and every Friday throughout the racing season. In addition, Hoosier Park will feature a free Trackmaster tipsheet available for download and several other free handicapping tools available on the Hoosier Park website.
Harrah’s Hoosier Park will once again place an emphasis on an expanded social media campaign to raise awareness and engagement around this year’s racing season. Racing fans will have the ability to ask questions, post comments and participate in promotions using social media. Utilizing the hashtag #PlayHP, racing fans and participants are encouraged to follow Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Facebook and Twitter for up to date information and promotions.
One of the most highly anticipated weekends on the 2020 harness racing calendar will take place in October as Harrah’s Hoosier Park will welcome the coveted Breeders Crown events back to Indiana on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31. After an overwhelmingly successful event in 2017, Harrah’s Hoosier Park will play host to all 12 year-end championship races, worth a combined $6 million.
In addition to the Breeders Crown events and activities, Hoosier Park will host an extended stakes schedule throughout the 2020 racing season worth nearly a combined $3 million. The stakes season, which remained virtually unchanged, will feature several Grand Circuit stops and Hoosier Park’s signature pacing event, the $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes, which is slated for Friday, August 14. The Indiana Sires Stakes season will kick-off at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Wednesday, July 1. For more information on the live racing and stakes schedule, please visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.
(Harrah’s Hoosier Park)