from Horse Player NOW

Chicago, IL — Harness Night School, the racing industry’s national online fan education program dedicated to the Standardbred set, launches Thursday (July 26) at 7 p.m. (EDT), with a session on “Introduction to Harness Racing.”

The interactive chat program will be hosted by T.J. Burkett, executive editor of Hoof Beats, the official magazine of the USTA, and Tom Kelley, director of publicity and handicapper for Balmoral Park and Maywood Park.

This week’s guest panelist will be Horse Player NOW’s Joe Kristufek, who has worked harness meets at Hawthorne, Balmoral and Maywood, and covered the sport on his “Horsin’ Around TV” production in the mid-2000s. In addition to participating as a panelist, Kristufek, the co-founder of the Night School program along with Horse Player NOW partner Jeremy Plonk, will offer a video introduction to the Night School program.

Also via video, Daily Racing Form’s Derick Giwner will provide his topical insights.

Harness Night School is FREE to all fans, and no advanced sign-up is required. The 90-minute classes will be held each Thursday at 7 p.m. and continue through the Oct. 25 Breeders Crown Preview. A different handicapping subject will be featured weekly as well as a look at the weekend’s major harness races on the USTA’s Strategic Wagering schedule.

Title sponsor for Harness Night School is the United States Trotting Association, in conjunction with presenting seasonal sponsor Daily Racing Form. Harness Night School’s supporting sponsor is Meadowlands Racetrack. Founded by Horse Player NOW’s Joe Kristufek and Jeremy Plonk, the Night School brand has provided fan education courses throughout the racing industry over the past 16 months and has been viewed live or in archives by more than 400,000 racing enthusiasts from newbies to hardcore handicappers.

Harness Night School will run separately from the regular Tuesday editions of Night School. The Harness Night School classes will be available at three websites for the initial season — www.ustrotting.com, www.drf.com and www.horseplayernow.com. Each week, fans will receive free, downloadable study materials and be eligible to win prizes by simply registering. The courses are free to anyone from any computer.

Following each Thursday night edition of Harness Night School, fans will be directed to www.drf.com for an “After Night School Special” featuring live racing video from top national tracks such as the Meadowlands, as well as expert live commentary, interactive fan chats, free giveaways and more. Other projects featuring Harness Night School will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans are encouraged to join the e-mail list at www.Horseplayernow.com for updated news.

On Hambletonian Day, Saturday, August 4, the Night School team will be live at the Meadowlands to conduct on-stie fan education as part of the “Night School Tour.”

August Topics

August 2 (Thursday) 7 p.m.-Drivers
August 4 (Saturday) 12 Noon-Hambletonian Day Live Chat (during Meadowlands full card)
August 9 (Thursday) 7 p.m.-Trainers
August 16 (Thursday) 7 p.m.-Class/Racing Conditions/Shippers
August 23 (Thursday) 7 p.m.-Pace/Times/Track Bias
August 30 (Thursday) 7 p.m.-Trip Handicapping

Harness Night School Week 1 Study Materials

Harness Night School Introduction Link