Indiana’s finest trotters and pacers will be on display Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11 at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino for Hoosier Champions Night, the fifth and final round of the $75,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Finals.
Each night, the Hoosier state will showcase its best two and three-year-old competitors and after the dust settles, eight new Indiana Sires Stakes champions will be crowned. The first race will line up behind the starting gate at 5:15 p.m. both nights.
Revamped for the 2014 season, the Indiana Sires Stakes program features five legs throughout the season, and from each leg, the top 20 horses return to compete in a final and consolation. The freshman finals and consolations will highlight the 14-race card on Friday, October 10 with the three-year-old divisions slated for Saturday, October 11.
The 2014 stakes season will culminate with the top ten horses from each of the previous $75,000 finals returning to compete in a $200,000 Super Final on October 18 at Hoosier Park. With purses leaning toward the $2 million mark, the 14-race card slated for October 18 will be one of the richest nights offered in the Indiana Sires Stakes program.
“Our Hoosier Champions Night has become a much-anticipated event among horseman and racing fans alike,” Hoosier Park’s Vice President and General Manager of Racing, Rick Moore noted. “The 2014 season has already exceeded my expectations and I am excited to offer racing fans another stellar night of racing. To have horses of this quality racing at Hoosier Park speaks volumes to where our racing program has come and where it is going.”
In its’ 21st season of live harness racing, Hoosier Park is in the midst of one of its’ fastest season to date. Sweet Lou recently lowered the overall track record to 1:47.2 in the $250,000 Dan Patch Invitational on August 8. Of the eight respective Indiana Sires Stakes divisions, five of the eight divisions have produced track record-breaking or equaling miles this season.
In conjunction with a rich Indiana Sires Stakes program, Hoosier Park will also offer Grand Circuit racing action two more times during the 2014 season. The $75,000 Circle City stakes and the $75,000 Madison County stakes will highlight the live racing card on October 24 and October 25. The $225,000 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby will feature some of the best older pacers in the country and headline the final Grand Circuit racing action at Hoosier Park on October 31.
Live racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will follow a Tuesday through Saturday schedule with a daily post time of 5:15 p.m. The 160-day, all harness racing meet will offer an extended stakes schedule and be conducted through November 15.
(Hoosier Park)