Hoosier Park turns 25 this season
ANDERSON — Last season was an historic one for Anderson’s Hoosier Park as it hosted the harness racing Breeders Crown races for the first time.
But the history book is merely turning a page for a new chapter this season as Hoosier Park opens its doors Friday on a 25th season of harness racing.
“We are going to have several nights where we celebrate our 25th season,” said Rick Moore, Hoosier Park’s General Manager of Racing. “We are coming off such a high from hosting the Breeders Crown, but there is no hangover from that. We are still basking in the limelight of that exposure, but we are ready to take it to another level. We are never satisfied with the status quo.”
Apparently, the horsemen are ready to get into the action as well. There are 13 races slated for Friday and 12 more for Saturday.
“We have five races with eight-horse fields, and the rest have nine or 10 horses,” Moore said. “We are always a little bit worried about how many horses will be ready for that opening weekend.”
Last season’s driving and training champions are on hand and prepared to defend titles.
In 2017, two trainers shared the title of champion — Jamie Macomber and Jeff Cullipher.
Of those two, certainly Macomber’s share of that title seemed the most improbable as last season started. She had been at Hoosier Park for several years, acting as an assistant to Ron Burke, who several times had won training titles in Anderson but last year went out on her own. Obviously, it was an auspicious debut.
Now she returns to defend that title with a slightly different perspective but the same job to do.
“I don’t think it really hit me until I was getting ready to come back,” Macomber said. “So maybe there’s a little more pressure.”
She knows the task of repeating will be as tough or tougher than a year ago.
“Jeff and I will have to watch out, because I am sure Ronnie will be coming back with a vengeance,” Macomber said. “It’s hard to get owners, and horses are hard to come by.”
Cullipher is prepared for the challenge.
“I got a taste of it, and I would love to repeat,” he said. “There is a lot of pressure, but I put a lot of pressure on myself. Me and Tom Pollack own everything in the stable. This year I think we have a little better horses than we had a year ago. It is a big benefit having a lot of horses. I would say that Jamie and Ron and I are the three with the largest number of horses here.”
For driving champion Trace Tetrick, it isn’t feeling like old hat, but you could excuse him if it was. Tetrick has won four straight driving titles and six overall at Hoosier Park.
“I’m just going to come out and do the best I can,” said Tetrick. “It always helps to get off to a good start, and I like what I have for the opening weekend.”
Tetrick thinks the track surface is coming around to his liking now.
“The first couple of weeks I was here, it was a little bit firm," he said. "But since last weekend, it’s been perfect.”
First post time Friday and Saturday is 6:30 p.m. Next week, live racing will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The following week, and for the remainder of the season, the schedule will be Tuesday through Saturday.
By Rick Teverbaugh | For The Herald Bulletin
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