Hoosier Park hosts East Meets Midwest Drivers’ Challenge
October 29, 2015,by Emily Gaskin, for Hoosier Park
Anderson, IN — Not only will some of the best horses in the country go to post at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Friday (Oct. 30) but the best drivers in the country will also be in the spotlight in the second annual East Meets Midwest Drivers’ Challenge. This unique challenge will pit the top five drivers at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino against five of the top drivers from the East in a five-race challenge with the victorious team going home with a winner take all $10,000 prize.
The top five drivers from Hoosier Park will make-up Team Midwest with the top five drivers from the East making up Team East. In the inaugural edition, Team East won two of the challenge races and tallied the most points to take home top honors last season. Scott Peine, Hoosier Park’s racing secretary, has once again inherited the responsibility of recruiting the best drivers to compete in the second edition of the event.
Harness racing’s all-time leading money winning driver John Campbell returns to the Indiana and will lead Team East. Campbell far exceeds any driver when it comes to purse earnings with more than $287 million in the bike and victories in nearly every major stake to date. He is a member of both the Canadian and United States Hall of Fame and is one of only 10 drivers in North America with more than 10,000 career wins.
With nearly 40,000 lifetime driving wins collectively, Team East will also include David Miller, Tim Tetrick, Yannick Gingras and Scott Zeron.
Hoosier Park’s leading driver Trace Tetrick will lead the home team, Team Midwest, after garnering 300 wins to date at Hoosier Park this season. Tetrick leads all drivers by 150 wins and is well on his way to earning his fourth leading driver title at Hoosier Park in 2015. Team Midwest will also include Tyler Smith, LeWayne Miller, John DeLongand Sam Widger.
Each team will have five drivers in five consecutive races on the evening’s card and will be awarded points based upon their finishes. In the event of a scratch, the driver will earn five points. The East Meets Midwest Drivers’ Challenge will be featured in races four-eight on the evening. At the conclusion of the final race of the challenge, the points will be tallied and one team will be crowned the winner.
The East Meets Midwest Drivers’ Challenge will be part of one of the most highly anticipated nights on the harness racing calendar at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino as Grand Circuit racing actions returns for the final time this season. With purses topping the $1 million mark, the evening will be highlighted by the $285,500 Monument Circle Pace, the $265,000 Carl Erskine Trot, and the $165,000 Hoosier Park Pacing Derby.
All of the drivers competing in the East Meets Midwest Challenge will kick-off the evening with an autograph session near Hoosier Park’s winner;s circle beginning at 4:30 p.m. The first race will go to post at 5:45 p.m.
For more information on the upcoming live racing and entertainment at Hoosier Park, please visit www.hoosierpark.com. The live racing schedule at Hoosier Park will follow a Tuesday through Saturday schedule and be conducted through Nov. 14.
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Brian Brown is enjoying the best season of his harness racing career, and it got even better last weekend when the Ohio native won his first Breeders Crown trophy with older female pacer Color’s A Virgin. Now the 51-year-old conditioner will look to keep the good times rolling when he sends three horses to stakes engagements Friday at Hoosier Park; Lost For Words in the $285,500 Monument Circle for 3-year-old male pacers and Serious Filly and Triple V Hanover in the $100,000 USS Indianapolis Memorial for 3-year-old female pacers.
- Grand Circuit action to Hoosier and Vernon (Wednesday, October 28, 2015)
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- Harness racing superstars to Hoosier Park (Thursday, October 29, 2015)
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- Purchase of Muscle Baby Doll has paid off for Frank Bellino (Thursday, October 29, 2015)
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- Kurzrok hopes to see highlight-filled year continue at Hoosier (Thursday, October 29, 2015)
Gene Kurzrok cannot pick a single highlight from this year involving racehorses he owns. That’s not a bad thing. It’s because there has been so much to enjoy and savor.