News
Thoroughbred Racing Returns Thursday
Hoosier Park Racing and Casino will open its 15th season of Thoroughbred racing Thursday, July 30. The 63-day meet will run through Saturday, Oct. 24, offering five days of racing per week. Post times are set for 4:45 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday while racing begins at 12:45 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Nine races are slated for the season opener, including a $30,000 Allowance event in race eight highlighted by Aronia. Trained by Bret Calhoun, Aronia comes into the Indiana meet off a third place finish at Churchill Downs. The four-year-old daughter of Mutakddim has already accumulated more than $53,000 in earnings this year and two wins in six starts. Aronia has been selected as the morning line choice for the event at odds of 5-2. She will be ridden by Fernando De La Cruz from post two.
Also looking to be a contender in the opening day feature is Natalicat from the Tom Amoss barn. Starting from post seven, the five-year-old Tactical Cat mare won her last start at Mountaineer Park. She picks up Hoosier Park’s returning jockey champ Orlando Mojica at odds of 3-1.
Mojica will go for his third straight jockey title and his fourth overall at Hoosier Park. The native of Puerto Rico won titles in 2007 and 2008, moving into the top five all-time for victories at Hoosier Park. Mojica also secured the jockey title at Hoosier Park in 2003. A fourth title in 2009 would make him the only jockey to ever accomplish that number in the 15-year history of the track. Mojica and Jon Court currently have three titles each. Mojica comes into Hoosier Park with 157 wins in 2009 to be ranked ninth in the country among all riders.
“It would be nice to come back and do well and I’d love to try to be leading jockey again,” said Mojica. “The competition is going to be tough this year because the money’s good and there are a couple of new trainers and jockeys. My agent (Jimmy McNerney) is a good agent and he works hard. We work well together and make a good team, so I’ll do the best I can. Every year it can change and it’s a different story. I hope to continue to do well, but I don’t worry about it.”
Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson, Ind., is central Indiana’s premier entertainment destination, featuring 2,000 electronic gaming devices; Standardbred, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing; and wholecard simulcasting. Hoosier Park Racing & Casino is a wholly owned property of Centaur Gaming, which also owns and operates Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino in Central City, Colo., and is working to develop Valley View Downs in western Pennsylvania. Hoosier Park also provides simulcast-wagering facilities in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Merrillville, Ind. For more information, visit www.hoosierpark.com.
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