from Horse Player NOW

Chicago, IL — Harness Night School, the racing industry’s national online fan education program dedicated to the Standardbred set, offers a ninth session Thursday (Sept. 13) at 7 p.m. (EDT), with a focus on “Track Configurations.”

Harness Night School is FREE to all users. Set a reminder for Thursday’s session, and enter the chat room here.

Harness races are contested over a traditional one-mile distance, but the size of the track, and the number of turns, greatly impact the strategy of the driver and the thought process of the handicapper. Thursday night our panelists and video guests will offer insight into how track configuration plays a role in the outcome of a harness race.

Serving as guest chat panelists are top driver Tim Tetrick, handicapper Mike “The Coyote” Antoniades, and writer Tim Bojarski.

Tetrick, 30, is one of the star drivers in harness racing. In 2007, he set single-season records for both wins (1,189) and purse earnings ($18,350,047). He has led all drivers in purse earnings every year since. Tetrick picked up the biggest win of his career in August when he won the $1.5 million Hambletonian with Market Share.

A native of Chicago, Antoniades is a student of the game. The between-race analyst for Balmoral and Maywood Parks, Antoniades also provides his “Players Guide” insight for www.oddsonracing.com.

Having been an owner, trainer and driver, Bojarski started his writing career doing driver bios and informational pieces for Batavia Downs in the mid-1980s. He has been writing for Hoof Beats magazine since 2001 as well as authoring a weekly blog for the USTA website since 2010. Bojarski is also a vice-president of the United States Harness Writers Association.

The interactive chat program will be hosted by T.J. Burkett, executive editor of Hoof Beats, the official magazine of the USTA, Tom Kelley, director of publicity and handicapper for Balmoral Park and Maywood Park, and Horse Player NOW’s Joe Kristufek, the co-founder of the Night School program along with Horse Player NOW partner Jeremy Plonk.

Via video, Daily Racing Form’s Derick Giwner will present topical insights, Kelley and Plonk provide “Crossover” discussions comparing and contrasting the Standardbred and Thoroughbred games — jockey versus driver and distances/track configurations. Dave Palone, Jody Jamieson and Corey Callahan offer driving strategies on attacking races over various track sizes.

Track Configurations Intro with Joe Kristufek, Tom Kelley & T.J. Burkett Video Link.

Harness Night School Session 9 Study Materials are at this link.

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. Eastern time 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 sponsor and content provider 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 17 months and has been viewed live or in archives by more than 400,000 racing enthusiasts from newbies to hardcore handicappers.

Harness Night School runs 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 and Yonkers, as well as expert live commentary, interactive fan chats, free giveaways and more. Fans are encouraged to join the email list at www.Horseplayernow.com for updated news.

Balmoral Park’s Super Night, with a $40,000 guaranteed Pick-4, can be watched live at www.DRF.com on Saturday (Sept 15). DRF.com will also be streaming the full card from The Delaware County Fair’s Little Brown Jug and the Filly Jugette on Wednesday (Sept. 19) and Thursday (Sept. 20).

Upcoming Topics

September 13 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Track Configurations
September 20 (Thursday) 10:45 a.m. (EDT) – Little Brown Jug Field Trip
September 27 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Understanding Pools and Odds
October 4 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Intra-Race Wagering
October 11 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Multi-Race Wagering
October 18 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Qualifiers and Eliminations
October 25 (Thursday) 7 p.m. (EDT) – Money Management
October 27 (Saturday) TBA – Breeders Crown Field Trip