by Emily Gaskin, for Hoosier Park Racing and Casino

Anderson, IN — In the 20th season of live Standardbred racing, Hoosier Park continues to produce encouraging gains on all fronts. With the continuing success of the first-ever, all harness racing meet, Hoosier Park has announced purses will reflect a 20 percent increase, effective Friday (Aug. 23).

This 20 percent increase is the second purse increase implemented this season and will be felt most noticeably throughout the upper and middle classes on the condition sheet.

With a renewed focus on fresh marketing efforts, facility enhancements, specialty wagers, and an increase in overall quality of racing through the first 100 days of the meet at Hoosier Park, all-sources wagering has shown an increase of 25 percent over the previous year’s figures.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the first 100 days of our live racing meet,” Hoosier Park’s vice president and general manager of racing Rick Moore noted. “We want to thank all our partners, most notably the horsemen and racing fans throughout the country that have contributed to our successes to date.”

Earlier in the year, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved a new racing format described as one breed, one track. Hoosier Park was named Indiana’s sole harness racing track while Indiana Grand Casino and Downs plays host to all the Thoroughbred action.

Originally designed as an all Standardbred track, this change to all Standardbred racing has allowed Hoosier Park to devote all of its energies in making the Anderson, Ind. track a world-class Standardbred racing operation.

“The horsemen have done an outstanding job of providing us with a great racing product,” Moore continued. “The continuing improvement of the quality of horses racing at Hoosier Park combined with full, competitive fields has offered remarkable value to horseplayers and the bettors have shown up in full force with the domino result of handle increases and purse increases. All of these factors make it possible for us to proudly announce this purse increase.”

The racing action continues to heat up on the track as the 2013 crop of state-breds recently opened their Indiana Gold Sire Stakes series in impressive fashion. Hoosier Park will play host to the second of three million dollar nights this season on Wednesday (Sept. 11) with the $200,000 Indiana Sire Stakes finals for 2- and 3-year-olds.

Live racing at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino kicked off on April 2 and will continue through Nov. 9. Following a Tuesday-Saturday schedule, the 160-day, all harness racing meet will have a daily post time of 5:30 p.m.