About Hoosier Park

Hoosier Park Racing and Casino in Anderson, Indiana, is these days a racino and standardbred racetrack situated around 40 miles from downtown Indianapolis and 118 miles from Cincinnati.

As well as live harness racing around the track, Hoosier Park also accommodates bettors in the casino featuring various table and video games, restaurants and entertainment which has included live music concerts.

Hoosier’s highlights have included the Dan Patch Stakes, a $300,000 harness race which was established in 1994.

As well as this, Hoosier hosted the 2017 Breeders Crown, a series of 12 championship harness races worth over $6,000,000 in total.

Aside from the facilities offered on site, Hoosier Park also offers bettors off-track betting at three places in the state, namely Clarksville, Indianapolis and New Haven as well as simulcast racing on site all year round on its many screens.

Hoosier Park History

It all started in 1990 when local business magnate Virgil E. Cook donated 110 acres of land to the city for the purpose of developing a much needed pari-mutuel racing venue.

By ’92 the owners of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby among other things, announced their plans to purchase the pari-mutuel license and open a track on the land which had been donated.

A contract was finally agreed in 1994 to construct Hoosier Park at an initial cost of around $13,000,000. By September, the track was open to the public and an initial crowd of 7,600 supported the grand opening while by the end of the calendar year the track had already announced plans to open their off-track betting facilities.

By the fall of the following year (’95) the first Indiana Derby was contested and the track was going from strength to strength, though in 1997 Churchill Downs took the decision to sell the park for over $8million.

In line with the way most of the country was heading, legislation was passed in 2007 to allow slot machines at the track in order to turn it into a racino. The windfall that the casino part of the facility generated allowed for bigger purses and better races on the track itself.

The casino had opened to the public in the summer of 2008 and has provided a great source of revenue to the track administrators, the horsemen and the state alike.

One slightly sour note in the history of Hoosier Park is the loss of the Indiana Derby. After Indiana Downs was opened in 2001 at Shelbyville, the Derby was moved to that facility.

Hoosier Park Track Details

The track at Hoosier Park is a 7/8 mile dirt oval. Given the nature of the racing which takes place there, no turf track has been laid at the site.

Place Your Hoosier Park Bets With TVG!

Now you know all about Hoosier, don’t forget you can wager on races there with TVG. Head to our schedules page to check out the latest race times then bet and watch live!

Address

4500 Dan Patch Cir, Anderson, IN 46013, USA

Contact

Rick Moore (rick.moore@hoosierpark.com)