Category: Weekend

Once again, the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational will be the highlight of the 2013 harness racing season at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Saturday, May 25. Now in its’ 20^th edition, the Dan Patch Invitational pace is the one time of the year that the top rated horses in North America convene on Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths mile oval seeking a lucrative $200,000 purse and a spot in Hoosier Park’s history.

Hoosier Park’s signature harness racing event has become a tradition that is close to the hearts of Hoosiers. The Dan Patch, an invitational race, not only highlights some of the best athletes in the sport of harness racing, but is deeply rooted throughout Indiana soil.

Hoosier Park’s event is named after the early 1900s racehorse phenomenon, Dan Patch. Originally from Oxford, Ind., Dan Patch raced the clock rather than his inferior competitors. Drawing crowds of over 90,000 people at a single race, the free-legged equine hero was the unparalleled sports icon of his time.

The Dan Patch race was established at Hoosier Park in 1994 with Ready To Rumble and driver Trevor Ritchie winning the inaugural edition 20 years ago. The list of all-star horses that have made their way to Hoosier Park over the years includes Jenna’s Beach Boy, Maltese Artist and former seven-eighths mile world record holder, the late Pacific Fella.

Kevin Mack, Hoosier Park’s racing secretary, inherits the responsibility of recruiting the best horses to compete in the event every year. Mack begins making his list of potential contenders for one of the ten coveted invitations to the Dan Patch many weeks in advance. After much consideration, ten horses, including a signature “Hometown Hero” chosen from the local area, will receive the official invitation to compete in Hoosier Park’s signature harness racing attraction.

The 2013 installment will tout some of the best horses, trainers and drivers in the sport. Patrons can potentially expect to see talents like Levy Memorial Pacing Series champion, Razzle Dazzle, Meadowlands Pace champion A Rocknroll Dance and perhaps 2012’s victor, Rockin Cam lined up behind the gate for the 2013 edition.

“We are looking at what may be the most competitive field to date in the 2013 edition of this great race,” Mack noted. “We haven’t officially decided, but the horses we are looking to invite are evenly matched and that makes for great racing. We are constantly striving to improve our harness racing product in Indiana and the Dan Patch is a race that does that by shining the spotlight on Indiana Standardbred racing on to the national scene.”

Several activities will be held trackside to complement the Dan Patch Invitational pace, including Indiana sire stakes action, property-wide dining specials, special wagering opportunities and exciting entertainment throughout the entire evening.

Racing fans will have the opportunity to participate in two special wagering opportunities offered for the Dan Patch Invitational race. A $25,000 guaranteed Superfecta pool for the Dan Patch race will once again be available as part of the special Strategic Wagering Program through the United States Trotting Association and Hoosier Park partnership. Hoosier Park will also offer a $10,000-guaranteed pick-4 pool that will include the Dan Patch race as a leg of the wager.

Don Giovanni, with Benny Christensen at the lines, shattered a fifteen-year-old track record for older horses on the trot when he powered home a winner in 1:54 in the featured event of the evening, a $24,000 Invitational trot. The previous record of 1:54.3 was established by Sonoran Sunrise and driver, trainer Mark O’Mara in 1998.

 Leaving from post five as the publics’ choice, Christensen left no room for error as he sent Don Giovanni to the front through an opening quarter in : 27.0. The eight-year-old gelding relaxed nicely from the point position as he led the gapped out field of ten down the backside through a second panel in :56.2. Solvent and Jason Dillander benefitted from a pocket trip while Rick Farrington had CJ’s Rascal well placed in third. M T Ur Pockets and Andy Shetler were the first to commit to the outer flow as Ed Hensley and Foggy Lane K followed suit.

 As the field rounded the final turn, Don Giovanni began to put his talent on display and trot away from the field through a three-quarter clocking in 1:25.4. The eight-year-old gelding appeared to be on cruise control as he crossed the wire ten lengths in front of his closest competitor. Solvent trotted evenly to finish second while M T Ur Pockets rallied from off the pace to round out the trifecta. As the heavy betting favorite, Don Giovanni returned $4.80 to his backers.

 With over $155,000 in purse earnings to his credit, Don Giovanni notched his 12^th career victory in 58 outings. Owned by Ely Rishaug Iverson of Oslo, NO, Don Giovanni recorded his first victory of the 2013 season.

 “When you try to win the race before the race, it never works that way, but I knew this horse would be good tonight,” Christensen noted. “It’s a new track so I didn’t know exactly what to expect and I have all the respect for the other horses in this race, but this horse is a special horse. He does his own thing sometimes out there, but he’s crazy, I’m crazy, we make a good team.”

The fifteen year old record for older horses on the trot was established by Sonoran Sunrise on August 7, 1998. Sired by Royal  Prestige, Sonoran Sunrise was five-years-old when he set the track record over Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths mile oval with Mark O’Mara in the sulky. With over $540,000 in lifetime earnings, Sonoran Sunrise went on to set a lifetime best mark of 1:54 at nine years of age and retired with 42 trips the winner’s circle.

Don Giovanni, with Benny Christensen at the lines, shattered a fifteen-year-old track record for older horses on the trot when he powered home a winner in 1:54 in the featured event of the evening, a $24,000 Invitational trot. The previous record of 1:54.3 was established by Sonoran Sunrise and driver, trainer Mark O’Mara in 1998.

Leaving from post five as the publics’ choice, Christensen left no room for error as he sent Don Giovanni to the front through an opening quarter in : 27.0. The eight-year-old gelding relaxed nicely from the point position as he led the gapped out field of ten down the backside through a second panel in :56.2. Solvent and Jason Dillander benefitted from a pocket trip while Rick Farrington had CJ’s Rascal well placed in third. M T Ur Pockets and Andy Shetler were the first to commit to the outer flow as Ed Hensley and Foggy Lane K followed suit.

As the field rounded the final turn, Don Giovanni began to put his talent on display and trot away from the field through a three-quarter clocking in 1:25.4. The eight-year-old gelding appeared to be on cruise control as he crossed the wire ten lengths in front of his closest competitor. Solvent trotted evenly to finish second while M T Ur Pockets rallied from off the pace to round out the trifecta. As the heavy betting favorite, Don Giovanni returned $4.80 to his backers.

With over $155,000 in purse earnings to his credit, Don Giovanni notched his 12^th career victory in 58 outings. Owned by Ely Rishaug Iverson of Oslo, NO, Don Giovanni recorded his first victory of the 2013 season.

“When you try to win the race before the race, it never works that way, but I knew this horse would be good tonight,” Christensen noted. “It’s a new track so I didn’t know exactly what to expect and I have all the respect for the other horses in this race, but this horse is a special horse. He does his own thing sometimes out there, but he’s crazy, I’m crazy, we make a good team.”

The fifteen year old record for older horses on the trot was established by Sonoran Sunrise on August 7, 1998. Sired by Royal  Prestige, Sonoran Sunrise was five-years-old when he set the track record over Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths mile oval with Mark O’Mara in the sulky. With over $540,000 in lifetime earnings, Sonoran Sunrise went on to set a lifetime best mark of 1:54 at nine years of age and retired with 42 trips the winner’s circle.

Betterluvnexttime and Pete Wrenn made amends for their second place finish last time out as they pulled off a sharp front running effort in the featured event at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday, May 3. Betterluvnexttime made a late surge at the wire to notch her 20^th career victory.

Leaving from post nine, Wrenn sent Betterluvnexttime to the front as Ricky Macomber Jr. and Montenegro followed suit from post six. Betterluvnexttime won the early battle, reaching the front through a brisk opening panel in :27.1, and continued to call the shots down the backside. The field of nine remained in single file lane as they reached the half in a leisurely second split of :56.1. Montenegro continued to benefit from a pocket trip while Winning It and Ed Hensley followed intently in third. Unable to find a spot along the rail, Gimme A Brake and Sam Widger were pushed to the outer flow as the field reached the final turn. Gran Gabriel and Terry Cullipher were well placed second over as they passed the three-quarter clocking in 1:25.4. Montenegro exploded from the pocket seat and looked to be home free as the field neared the finish line.

Montenegro put a nose in front but Betterluvnexttime dug in gamely and found a: 28.2 final panel to finish a neck in front of Montenegro, stopping the clock in 1:54.1. Montenegro finished second as Gran Gabriel and Terry Cullipher rallied from well off the place to finish third. As the heavy betting favorite, Betterluvnexttime returned $3.40 to her backers.

“She raced tough,” Wrenn noted. “We had to work a little to get out of there, but once I had her on the front, she relaxed and did everything I asked of her. She raced well last time out and was just nosed out at the wire, but tonight she was not letting that mare get by her. She fought that all the way to the wire.”

Trained by Al Tomlinson, Betterluvnexttime notched her eighth win of the season in ten starts. The victory sent her career bankroll over the $240,000 mark for owner Daniel Mitchell of Nova, MI. Sired by American Ideal, the five-year-old mare has banked over $50,000 this season.

Live racing resumes at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Saturday, May 4 with a 5:30 post. The 160-day all harness racing meet will follow a Tuesday-Saturday schedule and run through November 9.

The question is; what is Orb? While it may be a play on the sire’s name, Malibu Moon, or the circumference of the moon, at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino it is the name of the Kentucky Derby winning horse that Stuart Silvers placed a $10,000 win bet upon and won over $60,000 on Saturday, May 4. At odds of 5-1, Silvers’ answer to the age-old $64,000 question was Orb. The three-year-old gelding used a late surge down the homestretch to coast home a winner in the 139^th running of horse racing’s signature event.

After reading an edition of his local newspaper that named Orb as the early favorite, Silvers decided that was the horse for him. Silvers, 82, is a retired Butler University professor who walked through the doors of Hoosier Park on Saturday, May 4 and walked out $64,000 richer after he won the signature Derby Day promotion at Hoosier Park.

Hoosier Park provided invited guests a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity to place a $10,000 Kentucky Derby win bet on the horse of their choice. The winner had to wager the entire $10,000 sum on the horse they believed would win first place honors. Silvers was randomly selected and without hesitation, chose Orb as his horse. Thousands walked in to Hoosier Park to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby, but it was Silvers that walked out with the thousands, 64 to be exact.

The $10,000 mega-bet promotion culminated two of the biggest days in the sport of horse racing as Hoosier Park also welcomed guests with extended hours, wagering promotions, and property wide dining specials. Silvers, a frequent visitor of Hoosier Park, occasionally tries his luck wagering on horse racing, but never misses an opportunity to bet the Kentucky Derby.

“I’ve been betting on the Derby for awhile now,” Silvers noted. “But I’ve never won, at least not compared to what I won today. I came here today wishing for the best and I just got lucky. I didn’t expect this year to be any different than years’ past, but it hasn’t hit me that I won just yet.”

Derby weekend included property-wide dining specials, expanded beverage options, and official Kentucky Derby merchandise sales at Hoosier Park. Patrons that sported a Kentucky Derby hat also had the opportunity to receive a free Kentucky Derby win wager. While many other promotions were taking place throughout the facility none culminated the adrenaline of a horse race quite like the one experienced by Silvers.

Live racing resumes at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Tuesday, May 7 with a 5:30 post. The 160-day all harness racing meet will follow a Tuesday-Saturday schedule and run through November 9.

This Veteran’s Day Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will be doing more than ever to pay tribute to our U.S. armed forces. With many employees and friends of the company having served in the military, Hoosier Park plans to give back throughout the holiday weekend. A proud supporter of Indiana veterans and national soldiers alike, Hoosier Park will be offering discounts, free food opportunities and a very special all-day trip to the Veteran’s Day Memorial Service and Parade in Downtown Indianapolis.

With a military ID, our esteemed veterans can enjoy $5 in free slot play deposited on their Club Centaur account as well as 25% off at the Big Deli and Prime Harvest Buffet all holiday weekend. Then on Sunday, November 11th, a complimentary breakfast will be offered in the Big Deli from 7 to 10 am. Hoosier Park will then host a special Veterans Day Tribute on the casino floor at 11 am following breakfast.
The annual Veteran’s Day Memorial Service and Parade in Downtown Indianapolis is on Saturday, November 10th. The event begins at 10:30 am on the north steps of the Indiana War Memorial with a Musical Prelude by the 38th Division Band of the Indiana National Guard. This display of patriotism will include music from World War I, II, and the Korean War eras. To conclude the Memorial Service, the Indiana Air National Guard will perform a fly-over display just above the Indiana War Memorial. At 11:45 am, the Veteran’s Day Memorial Parade will commence. More than 80 military units will parade through Downtown Indianapolis from Michigan and Pennsylvania Streets to Meridian and North Streets. This Veteran’s Day event is sure to be one to remember and Hoosier Park aims to make sure no soldier misses the day’s great events.

At 8:30 am Saturday, a bus will be stationed outside of the casino to provide roundtrip transportation for those wishing to enjoy the service. With a military ID, Hoosier Park will provide the transportation and a free box lunch for each veteran and their guest. After the conclusion of the parade, the bus will be waiting to return the group back to Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson. There is no purchase necessary and there are no costs associated with this half-day event. Pay respects to our fallen soldiers and give thanks to our enlisted with this all-inclusive trip to the Veteran’s Day memorial Service and Parade this November.

Throughout the rest of the Thoroughbred meet Family Fun Saturdays are being offered at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino. Each Saturday post time is 12:30 and the activities began as soon as the races. These activities include a bounce house, cornhole, face painting and much more! We continue to have out track pack giveaways after races 3,5,7,9 which are $25 Hoosier Park gift cards. There is also a dice game that we host on Saturdays and a Tee Shirt Toss for racing fans. All games can be signed up for by swiping your Club Centaur Rewards card. Make sure to listen closely to the race commentators to catch who these lucky winners are, it could be you! Come on out and be a part of the great live racing and Family Fun Days here at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino!

Sunday, May 15 the Indianapolis 500 Festival was held downtown in Monument Circle. I, along with fellow Hoosier Park members Rachel McLaughlin and Hoosier Buddy were fortunate enough to be apart of the festivities! The entertainment began at 12 and lasted until 4 PM and although the rain kept some indoors many came to participate in some community fun. Several characters were there along with Hoosier Buddy who enjoyed dancing around and posing for photos with friends. There were bounce houses, games, rock climbing, face painting,  and music provided by Radio Disney. Hoosier Buddy had a great experience meeting all his new friends and acquiring new race fans for Hoosier Park Racing and Casino!

Every weekend a special someone visits Hoosier Park and his name is Hoosier Buddy. He can usually be found dancing with patrons, snapping photos, or zooming around on his scooter. This week he helped out the track employees. One of his horse friends left a little something in the winner’s circle, but luckily Hoosier Buddy came to the rescue. Check out this crazy horse here and get a kick out of his effort to spruce up Hoosier Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq6rCWGIjUY

This morning Hoosier Park horsemen lended a helping hand to the Anderson community by volunteering their time for Habitat for Humanity. It was a combined effort by the Indiana Standardbred Assosciation (ISA) and Hoosier Park’s Fab Five Celebrity Drivers. In attendance was : Dave Magee, Peter Wrenn, Jamie Rucker, Kerry Peterson, Ricky Macomber, Sam Widger, Jason Dillander, Brandon Bates, and Juile Rideout. The crew assisted with hanging dry wall in one hourse and hangin siding on the other. The houses are set to be complete this fall. They sit side by side on Lincoln Street. Special thanks to all our drivers and horsemen for volunteering their time to the community!

The 2011 Kentucky Derby will be simulcasted tomorrow right here at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino! If you’re wondering who some of our picks are…..let me tell you what I know.

Brian Elmore (General Manager of Racing) picked No. 15 Midnight Interlude. He picked this horse because of its trainer, Baffert Bob who has been the winning trainer of the last 2 Indiana Derbys.

Kevin Mack picked No. 8 Dialed in. He chose this horse becuase it finishes well and is always coming at the end.

Steve Cross picked No. 19 Nehro. He picked this horse because he hasn’t seen a horse win from this post in over 30 years.

Stoagie Stan picked No. 8 Dialed In. He chose this horse because its very consistent and it likes to win.

Cliff’s pick is No. 17 Soldat because he had a rough trip in the Florida Derby and looked prior to be the best 3 year old.

Rachel McLaughlin picked No. 1 Archarcharch. She picked this horse because its driver, Jon Court was her very first interview and he’s a great guy.

Hoosier Buddy picked horse No. 13 MuchoMachoMan, because he’s a MuchoMacho Horse.

Tammy Knox picked No. 1 Archarcharch. She chose this horse because there is nothing would make her happier than to see Jon Court win the Derby.

Marcus Miller picked horse No. 7 Pants on Fire because he thinks it has a very funny name.

and Ricky Macomber chose No. 8 Dialed In because he likes the name of the horse.

So if you’re looking for some help when it comes to your Kentucky Derby pick, hopefully some of these tips will help you out!