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This Saturday, October 8th was our first ever all Quarter Horse racing day, and Hoosier Buddy took full advantage of the fun! Not only did he ride the mechanical bull, Buddy went to the jockey meet and greet, he clowned around with our rodeo clown and did some walking with our cowboy stilt walker. Our Wild West theme also had family fun day activities including a bouncy house, face painting and interactive games.

All afternoon you could see Hoosier Buddy making his rounds to all of our events. He really got excited when the mule race was going on because his girlfriend was in the race! Buddy’s girlfriend, Sarah got last place in the non-wagering mule race that took place after race 2.

All of our activities were coupled with an excellent racing card. There were three trials of the Miss Roxie Little Futurity, three trials of the Governor’s Stakes, race 10 was the Sterlie Bertram Final for $100,000 and the last race on the card was the Hoosier Park Classic Final also for $100,000!

Participants in the American Quarter Horse Association have come from all over the United States and Mexico to compete for scholarships.

The students are required to pass a written test, two workbooks and a barn test that includes demonstrating how to saddle, bridle, wrap legs and name different bits. All of the test are about horse racing which is different from what these students are used to.

Rachel McLaughlin, our telvision host interviewed one of the AQHA members, Abi Buckwalter. Buckwalter shows quarter horses in the AQHA, and commented on her experience here at Hooser Park.

“This is the first time I have ever been to a race track. The experience is amazing, I have never seen anything like this. It has been an amazing learning experience but I’d have to say my favorite part about it is seeing the versatility of the quarter horse.”

The participants have visited every part of the track; and talked to everyone involved in horse racing; from the jockeys to the audio visual department. These kids have really had the full Hoosier Park experience from their first day here on Wednesday. They have been a joy to have and an excellent addition to our all quarter horse racing day activities.

This year at our 17th running of the Indiana Derby we were lucky enough to have Pete Lurie from HRTV here to cover the race. Lurie is one of the popular on-air hosts of HRTV, a national horse racing channel on cable and satellite television.

This is the second year Lurie has joined us for the coverage of Hoosier Park’s Indiana Derby a Grade II event with a purse of $500,000. Pete was joined by our own track host Rachel McLaughlin for handicapping and interviews.

Lurie has been with HRTV since its inception in 2002. In addition to his duties at the all-horse racing channel, he also works at Farplex Park in California as their in-house host. While he was at Hoosier Park for Indiana Derby, HRTV did several cut-ins throughout the day for their live broadcast of racing across the nation. Lurie also did several participant interviews; a duty he shared with McLaughlin.

It was a pleasure having Pete Lurie here with us for Derby Day he was an excellent edition to our activities. He was and always is a joy to work with.

The number 4 horse, and favorite, Mack the Slew offered Hoosier Park fans an amazing performance in todays 11th Running of the Hillsdale Stakes. This 2 year old colt is an unexperienced horse but his past performance here at Hoosier Park on August 11th he won by 2 1/2 lengths. Today in this stakes race of 5 furlongs Mack The Slew was able to make his second win here at Hoosier. Thompson and Mack the Slew came into the last turn on the rail behind the number 3 & 3c. “Coming on the stretch and knowing he was a younger horse, I tried to break the center and couldn’t, so I had to make a move on the outside. I knew with him being so young he needed a a clear shot to win. Once we moved to the outside he really got into stride and I let him take it home,” said Thompson. This is Thompson 2nd stakes win this year. Mack the Slew and Thompson were clearly a combination for success in this 9 horse field with a total purse of $84,000.

In an eleven horse field jockey Christopher Emigh seemed to get off to a great start in Saturdays 7th race and 15th running of “The Brickyard Stakes”. Emight came out in second and held on to that position until the front stretch where he made his move and took the lead. Emigh picked up this mount earlier today “This is my first time riding this horse and the trainer told me that he can really run,  so don’t give up on him. So I  took the lead down the lane, and was hoping I could get to the wire as soon as possible,” said Emigh.

Terry Tompson captures the win in the 17th running of “The Merrillvill Stakes” Saturday, August 27. Thompson was riding Linda’s Lace who is the defending champ, and currently has 10 season victories. Linda’s Lace also has four stakes wins here at Hoosier Park. This is her first win of the season at Hoosier Park, her last start she was 2nd. “Last time she got a bad head bob, but this race was a little different. She’s usually does well with two turns. I let the other horses set the pace then on the front I made a move and rode it out.”   Thompson said he anticipated her to do well in this race, and noticed the odds were looking a little different before he went off. “She’s a really great horse, and for her to pay 18.60 hopefully the gamblers got onto her,” said Thompson. Thompson came to the meet late but is making a name for himself as he is inthe top 10 leading jockeys. Clearly this jockey and horse combination is made for a win!

Wednesday, August 24 a moment of silence was held in the winner’s circle for quarter horse jockey Richard Gilliard. Gilliard was injurned in Tuesday nights final race after his horse ran into the paddock entry rail after the race was completed. He is currently in critical condition at St. Vincents Hosipital in Indianapolis. Here at Hoosier, General Manager of Racing, Brian Elmore, held a moment of silence in his honor. Thoughts and prayers go out to Gilliard and his family.

The excitement begins as the Thoroughbreds take to the track. Opening night was August 2nd and after jsut a week of racing already underway, this meet proves to be a fresh new start. Race days are Tuesday-Friday with a post time of 5:30 PM and Saturday with a post time of 12:30 PM. Each day is packed with entertainment with live horse racing, special contests, guests, and fabulous food. So come on out and be a part of the action here at Hoosier Park for the 2011 Thoroughbred meet!

This morning at 7 AM a few select Hoosier Park team members, along with celebrity driver Ricky Macomber, attended the 2011 Prayer Breakfast at Madison Park. Several members of the community & local businesses were there, with well over 500 attendees. The breakfast was a way to bring patrons together to hear some motivational words from several speakers. There was a variety of inidividuals in the house all rangning from state representatives, pastors, citizens, and Colts center Jeff Saturday. Saturday attended the breakfast as a key speaker. Many were excited to hear the story of his success and his life that came from him and his wife Karen. The couple spoke for about 45 minutes about their life both involving the NFL and outside when they are just a “normal family”. I’m sure most of you are thinking there can’t be much normality to a NFL stars life. I was thinking the same, but after hearing all they have been through and what truly humble people they are, I can agree they are much like most people I know. Overall the breakfast was a great success. It was a wonderful experience to get to hear and see several members of the community come together to support a greater city of Anderson.

Last week approximately 20 people signed up for a Hoosier Park Barn Tour from United Methodist. The barn tour consisted of full travel through the backside of Hoosier Park, allowing track patrons to visit some of Indiana’s finest race horses. Barn tours are easily scheduled through Tammy Knox in the Race Marketing Department. Tours can be scheduled during almost any race day at any time. This is a truly unique experience to get a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes at Hoosier Park!