from Plainridge Racecourse

Plainville, MA — A new era in Massachusetts harness racing begins in mid-April when Plainridge Racecourse kicks off its 2014 season.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission recently awarded Penn National Gaming, the operator of Plainridge Racecourse, the state’s first expanded gaming license.

The 2014 live opener will take place on Wednesday (April 16) with a first post at 4 p.m. Plainridge will also offer live racing on Saturday (April 19), again with a 4 p.m. post.

Though Plainridge will be dark on Sunday (April 20) for the Easter holiday, the track will add Sunday afternoons to its live racing schedule the following week (April 27). Sunday afternoon post time will be at 1 p.m.

Live racing will then continue on the Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday schedule for the balance of the 2014 meet, which runs through Dec. 6.

Pre-meet qualifying races are scheduled for Tuesday (April 1) and Tuesday (April 8). Post time for the qualifying sessions will be at 1 p.m. and the entry box will close at 10 a.m. on Monday.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reminds all horsemen that as of April 1 anyone entering the Plainridge backstretch, which includes the barn area, the racetrack and the paddock area, must have a current MGC license. Also, before any horse can participate in the qualifiers its owner, trainer and driver must be licensed by the MGC. The MGC office at Plainridge is open for licensing on Monday-Friday from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Trainers should also note that the MGC has released its reference manual for 2014. It can be downloaded at this link.