Friday (March 22) is opening night at Harrah’s Hoosier Park and the track kicks things off with a $7,500 Guaranteed Pick 5 pool at 6:15 PM (EDT). The sequence is far from easy as we must deal with many horses returning from layoffs and shipping in from other tracks, but we will take our best stab and hopefully come out ahead. Remember to check out free Harness Eye past performances for both Friday and Saturday plus a special Bet $50, Get $50 offer through DRF Bets. Details are available here. Race 1 - A number of these horses qualified very well and any of those could be ready at first asking. (5) BLACKLIST Z TAM hasn’t been seen since August and returns with a large reduction in claiming price. His qualifier only looks ok at first glance but he was gaining late with a 27 2/5 kicker. (2) YANKEE ROLLER A is one of only two horses in the field with a racing line in March and it was a good effort in a solid time at The Meadows. (3) SOMEBEACHSOMEDAY blew out a quick mile to prepare for this race and this 10-year-old could be ready to roll. Race 2 - (4) GRACEFUL PETE was patient early in his qualifier but sprinted home in 26 2/5 to show he’s ready for action. While he only has two career starts, he showed some “go” in start two and certainly could’ve improved over the last eight months. (3) ER RAMBO is still seeking his first win in 15 career starts but did romp in his qualifier. A lot can change from a 2- to 3-year-old season and this guy seems ready to show more. Race 3 - We’ll take a shot here with a single in (4) DRAGON PERFECT. Four-year-old seemingly wasn’t great in his return qualifier until you look at the competition. Winner General Dolan has paced in sub 1:50 each of the last two years and second-place finisher Call Out My Name won in 1:50 1/5 as a 3-year-old. This guy drops in for a tag for the first time in his career and figures to come out rolling. Race 4 - (1) HEAT CHECK has been just ok in his qualifiers but boy does that mile where he crossed the line in 1:52 4/5 in his last start of 2023 stick out in this field. (2) JACKIE BOY has looked good out at Cal Expo and those miles say he fits well in here. (8) HIGH HO HEZ SILVER has a bit of a breaking issue but also a strong closing kick that should work well through this long stretch. (7) IMAGE OF ANERA makes his first career start and unlike a few of these he doesn’t have a string of losses on his record. Maybe he’s got some ability? Race 5 - (1) STAR COMMANDER N comes off a good race at Miami Valley and that was his first start in four weeks. While he’s 10-1 on the morning-line, he won five times over this surface in 2023. (9) MAJOR CROCKER A switches to the track’s top barn and has loads of class; ready? (5) POCKET OF TERROR A drops in claiming price and is eligible to perk up. (7) GLORYVIEW IMAGE shows some good race in February on the five-eighths and qualified back nicely. .50 Ticket: 2,3,5 / 3,4 / 4 / 1,2,7,8 / 1,5,7,9 = $48 Saturday, March 23 Late Pick 5 Analysis Opening weekend at Harrah’s Hoosier Park continues on Saturday with a post-time switch to 7:00 PM (EDT) and 13 live races offered up. Here we’ll take a look at the late Pick 5 which kicks off with the featured Open Trot. Race 9: Going to looks to cover my bases here with two of the six entrants. (6) FLAGMAN is certainly the best of this group in terms of pure speed and class. The main question is readiness off the qualifier and I expect these connections to send out a sharp horse. (5) RENEGADE GYPSY hasn’t quite proven to be as fast as some of these but is one of only two in the field to have raced within the last week. He’s been keeping good company at Miami Valley and seems like a nice fit here. Race 10: (3) A BLUE MILLION uncorked a sharp turn of speed when shown daylight in his last qualifier and was equally impressive late with a 26 3/5 final quarter in the previous mile. This 3-year-old might be too fast for this group unless Mohawk shipper (8) DANCING DOVER elects to behave. He has stayed trotting in his last two starts and finished second behind a potentially talented heavy favorite. Race 11: (6) POLKS IMAGE didn’t show much in a quick mile from an outside post in her first start of the year. Cullipher trainee did well here last year and should be tighter tonight. (10) SWEET CHARLIE has a conditioning and form edge on the majority of the field. The second tier starting spot is never ideal but the stablemate of the top pick can certainly succeed in this spot. Race 12: (1) SWEET BOY BEN comes off an improved effort in his second start of the year and he certainly looks like the one to beat. (5) SPARKS FLY took on state-bred stakes company in Kentucky in 2023 and he did qualify back in good order. (7) TUG AND COOP looks playable if you ignore the break last time out. The bigger track may help the cause here. Race 13: (3) WHERE’S JESSE wasn’t going anywhere from post eight last time but won his prior start. Barn change and major driver shift tonight makes him very intriguing. (1) PINEWOOD HANOVER seems to have put his breaking issues in the rearview mirror with hobbles removed. The raw speed is certainly there. .50 Pick 5 Ticket: 5,6 / 3,8 / 6,10 / 1,5,7 / 1,3 = $24