by Emily Gaskin, for Hoosier Park

Anderson, IN — Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will proudly host a post position draw and cocktail reception on Tuesday (Aug. 9) from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Dan Patch Brewhouse at Hoosier Park for this Friday’s (Aug. 12) $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes. The 23rd edition of Hoosier Park’s signature event is the most highly anticipated race on the live racing calendar as the best in the sport of harness racing will descend upon Hoosier Park’s seven-eighths-mile oval seeking glory in the track’s most prestigious pacing event.

Hoosier Park’s Dan Patch week coverage will begin on Tuesday with the post position draw broadcasted live on Hoosier Park’s pre-race show, The Night Drive, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Hoosier Park will also provide a live Facebook stream for the Dan Patch post draw available on Hoosier Park Racing & Casino’s Facebook page, or by clicking here.

Hoosier Park Racing & Casino’s Director of Racing, Scott Peine, along with Vice President and General Manager of Racing, Rick Moore, will be on hand to assist with the post position draw and morning line odds announcement. The purse for the 2016 Dan Patch is estimated to be $300,000 with the field being comprised of the top 10 highest lifetime money earners.

While the entry box will remain open until Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., the 23rd installment of the Dan Patch Stakes could feature the most accomplished field in the history of the race. Fellow Indiana sired world champions Freaky Feet Pete, Wiggle It Jiggleit, and Always B Miki have made up the “Big Three” in the older pacing ranks this season and lead the list of Dan Patch hopefuls.

Wiggle It Jiggleit won 22 of 26 starts in 2015 for earnings of more than $2.18 million en route to being named the United States Horse of the Year last season. His list of accolades included victories in the Meadowlands Pace, the Little Brown Jug and the Progress Pace. The 4-year-old Indiana-sired gelding is trained by Clyde Francis and has won 10 of 16 starts thus far this season.

Jimmy Takter is no stranger to the Dan Patch winner’s circle as he boasts two wins in the history of the race and will look to take aim at his third victory with 2015 Breeders Crown Older Pacing Horse champion Always B Miki. The son of Always A Virgin-Artstopper, bred by Roll The Dice Stable, has won 24 of 44 career races and earned $1.8 million in purses.

Freaky Feet Pete, the winner of the 2015 Breeders Crown final for 3-year-old pacing colts in a storybook season, is a winner of more than $1.44 million in lifetime earnings. Freaky Feet Pete has won 29 of 37 lifetime outings for owners Mary Jo Rheinheimer and Marty Rheinheimer.

Canadian pacing sensation Shamballa is also among the list of possible starters in this year’s edition of the Dan Patch Stakes after he proved he is a force to be reckoned with, pulling the 8-1 upset over “The Big Three” in the $225,550 U.S. Pacing Championship for older pacers at the Meadowlands Racetrack last week.

The Dan Patch Stakes will be part of a special weekend tagged as the “Dan Patch Festival Weekend” and will feature extreme entertainment, giveaways, and racing. The thrill-themed weekend will showcase some of the most notable names in harness racing alongside free fireworks, giveaways, and interactive family-friendly entertainment. Also highlighting the weekend will be a concert by country music legends Asleep At The Wheel on Saturday (Aug. 13) as Hoosier Park continues its summer concert series line-up.

For more information on the Dan Patch Stakes post draw reception, please contact Emily Gaskin at 765.609.4620. For more information on the upcoming entertainment and live racing schedule, please visit www.hoosierpark.com.