by Dave Little, for the Breeders Crown
Cranbury, NJ — As the saying goes, “It takes a village.”
That’s a good way to describe what’s happening in harness racing in the State of Indiana.
The Hoosier State, known much more for hoops than hobbles, has everybody on board as Hoosier Park, not a major player in the sport historically, now has management, government, patrons and horsemen all on the same page, as the seven-eighths-mile track continues to make its way toward the sport’s mainstream.
For the next two weeks, Hoosier Park, currently fifth in North America in purse distribution, will take center stage in the sport. They are in the midst of a furious brush to the center of the harness racing universe as the Breeders Crown comes to town for the first time Oct. 27 and 28 (eliminations on Oct. 20 and 21).
“We were ecstatic,” said Hoosier Park President and Chief Operating Officer Jim Brown on being contacted by the Hambletonian Society to host the year-end championship races. “We knew we were gaining a good reputation in the country as being horseman-friendly. People made sacrifices to make this happen.”
The process actually began in 2006, when Hoosier Park (which opened for business in 1994) was acquired by Centaur Gaming from Churchill Downs.
“That was a turning point,” said Brown. “We don’t look at racing as a spreadsheet item. We look at the grand picture of our company, and racing fits right in as an integral part.”
Further strides were made when Centaur acquired Indiana Grand in 2013. This allowed Centaur to strip both Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand down and rebuild as breed-specific facilities, Hoosier as the harness venue, Indiana Grand as the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse track.
But Brown, and chairman and chief executive officer Rod Ratcliff, have long histories in racing.
“Both of us have been affiliated with racing for our entire adult lives,” said Brown. “And believe racing operated within a gaming facility has to be as important as anything else. You don’t make money in housekeeping, but that doesn’t mean you operate a dirty facility. We both love racing. We like to joke that we are either a casino company that loves horse racing or a horse racing company that knows how to run casinos.”
So why does it work at Hoosier?
Hoosier signed a seven-year agreement with theirs in 2014, giving owners, trainers and drivers some stability and confidence.
“The money that the horsemen got from casino revenues was attached to the state budget,” said Brown. “And every year, there would be a bill proposed to take that money away under the guise of why are we subsidizing that industry? So, as we are trying to build an industry, we had horsemen uneasy who might have wanted to relocate to Indiana because it was unstable.
“We worked with the state legislature to create a bandwidth of 10-12 percent that would go to racing and move it off the state books and back into the owner-operator and horsemen relationship with one another. The horsemen do a lot for us in bringing their best efforts to our facilities. We could pay them 10 or 11 percent for the length of the agreement, but we wanted to pay them 12 percent because we were in a building mode of the industry.”
The economics are apparently working. Hoosier races 160 cards a year and the horsemen have approximately $56 million in purse money a year to work with. Between Hoosier and Indiana Grand, casino revenues total about $461 million (after $14 million in “free play” is factored in). Based on a sliding scale where the state takes more as gaming revenues rise, the most the state can rake from the pot is 35 percent. In terms of where they rank, Brown says that Indiana is in the lower end of the top third in terms of how much the state takes.
“Economic impact studies show that racing has a value of over a billion dollars a year to the Indiana state economy,” said Brown. “And that’s an important responsibility on our part to make sure that we treat racing with the respect it deserves. We worked with Purdue University on several studies that showed the economic value of horse racing in the State of Indiana. Out here in the Midwest, that means something.”
Brown and his team are trying to leave no stone unturned as the Breeders Crown draws near, but knows there are limitations based on his location in Anderson, Ind.
“We have about 20 different committees meeting on the Breeders Crown. We want to get it right. It’s the first time in Indiana. It’s all of us on a mission. We’re not in New York or Chicago. We are surrounded by corn fields.”
That’s why Hoosier relies in a big way on its simulcast presence, as 95 percent of money wagered on Hoosier’s races are wagered off track.
“We have a great commentary team and we try to come up with new camera angles that don’t get people confused along with the fundamental information that bettors need,” said Brown.
How will Brown measure success with the Breeders Crown he’s about to host?
“By how we feel as a team in what we did compared to what we had hoped for. Another is customer feedback to us, whether it’s an export customer or someone at the track. It’ll also be measured by handle. Those are pretty much the three main areas. Another important one is what our horsemen and visiting horsemen think.
“A goal was to try and get a Breeders Crown,” added Brown. “We weren’t sure it would be offered to us, but then the Hambletonian Society contacted us. The horsemen voted to dedicate $500,000 of their money to the event and we dedicated $400,000 of our money and said, ‘We want to put on a show.’ We want to raise the bar on every aspect of the event.”
And with everybody working together, Hoosier Park figures to do just that.
- Four supplement to $6 million Breeders Crown events at Hoosier Park (Monday, October 16, 2017)
The connections of four of the top horses in their divisions — Funknwaffles, Homicide Hunter, International Moni and Sintra — have supplemented to their Breeders Crown events at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino on Oct. 28.
- Breeders Crown draws 166 in inaugural Hoosier Park event (Tuesday, October 17, 2017)
The $6 million Breeders Crown events at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino attracted 166 entries for the championship finals on Friday (Oct. 27) and Saturday (Oct. 28). Eliminations will be needed in every division with the exception of the $250,000 Mare Trot, which drew just five mares as defending Breeders Crown champion Hannelore Hanover opted in against the males in the $526,250 Open Trot.
- Four previous champions lead Breeders Crown female starters (Tuesday, October 17, 2017)
Four previous champions will be in action Friday (Oct. 20) as the road to this year’s Breeders Crown finals begins with eliminations for female trotters and pacers at Hoosier Park Casino & Racing. Eliminations for male trotters and pacers will be contested Saturday. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) both nights.
- Fear The Dragon leads male starters in Breeders Crown (Tuesday, October 17, 2017)
Breeders Crown eliminations for male pacers and trotters will be held Saturday (Oct. 21) at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, with harness racing’s No. 1-ranked star, Fear The Dragon, leading the way. Eliminations for female trotters and pacers will be contested Friday. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) both nights.
- Breeders Crown eliminations lead busy Grand Circuit weekend (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)
The Grand Circuit heads to Hoosier Park this Friday (Oct. 20) and Saturday (Oct. 21) for Breeders Crown eliminations in 11 divisions. Eliminations will not be required for the mare trot.
- Key seeks return to Breeders Crown winner’s circle (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)
Bob Key has been a longtime participant in the Breeders Crown and an ardent supporter of the Grand Circuit. He knows what it takes to win at the sport’s top level and appreciates the opportunities for success. “This is what you’re shooting for,” said the 84-year-old Key, who has won twice in the Breeders Crown series and sends three horses to this year’s event at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
- Breeders Crown comes full circle for Indiana’s Ernie Gaskin (Wednesday, October 18, 2017)
For Ernie Gaskin, the Breeders Crown is a big deal. In 1984, the first year of the Breeders Crown, Gaskin was an assistant trainer for legendary Hall of Fame trainer William R. Haughton. Gaskin was keenly involved with Nihilator, the stable’s spectacular juvenile pacing colt who captured the hearts and souls of the Standardbred world with eye-catching victories in the Woodrow Wilson at The Meadowlands and then the Red Mile, where he was the star.
- Special Breeders Crown debut for John DeLong (Thursday, October 19, 2017)
When driver John DeLong makes his Breeders Crown debut Friday, it will be special. Of course, such an occurrence would be exceptional under any circumstances, but the fact his appearance will come with a homebred horse at his adopted hometown track makes the moment even more extraordinary. DeLong will drive Seventimesavirgin on Friday in the second of two Breeders Crown Mare Pace eliminations at Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
- Pasithea Face scratched from Breeders Crown (Thursday, October 19, 2017)
It has been announced that Pasithea Face has been scratched from the $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot.
- Breeders Crown victory took Stohlers to the “Extreme” (Friday, October 20, 2017)
It’s hard to believe that one race could make such an enormous difference, but to Trent Stohler, being part of Extreme Velocity’s upset victory in the 1997 Breeders Crown Mare Pace was a life changing experience.Stohler will start Rock On Ladys in an elimination of the Breeders Crown 2-Year-Old Filly Pace on Friday (Oct. 20) at Hoosier Park, but the memory of his first Crown experience is still fresh, 20 years later.
- Lost In Time’s Breeders Crown appearance could bring restitution and retirement for Mulinix (Friday, October 20, 2017)
Lost In Time is certainly following in his world champion father’s hoofprints, as he hails from the same barn as A Rocknroll Dance, possesses a similar demeanor and has thrived in an identical program.