Harrah's Hoosier Park: Purses to go up starting Friday

Beginning on Friday, June 26, Harrah's Hoosier Park horsemen will see a purse increase go into effect on races that are non-winners of X amount in their last four races, the third purse increase institued for the 2026 racing season.

"This is the third phase of our targeted purse increase for the 2026 season," said John De Long, president of the Indiana Standardbred Association. "This comes after careful budgeting for the 160-day meet, and it's something we hope to continue to build upon for our horsemen."

This is the third 20% purse hike to be put into place in 2026, with that increase also impacting non-winners of X amount of races lifetime (both straight, and claiming), as well as Indiana-sired 2-year-old conditioned events receiving a 20% boost from Indiana Standardbred Breed Development this summer.

"We deeply appreciate both the Indiana Standardbred Association and Breed Development for their support as we implement these boosts to our purses," said Gabe Prewitt, Vice President and General Manager of Racing at Harrah's Hoosier Park. "We also deeply appreciate our horseplayers, with their support handle was up 30% year-over-year in 2025, and we are already up another 10% in 2026, which has contributed greatly to drive purses forward."

The boost occurs as Harrah's Hoosier Park enters the peak of its racing season, racing five-days a week with a Tuesday through Saturday schedule. Racing takes place at 5:30 p.m. (EDT), with the championship season rapidly approaching, headlined by the Grade 1 $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes presented by Indiana Standardbred Breed Development on Friday, August 14. Other signature events still to come include the Grade 2 Caesars Trotting Classic presented by Kountry Lane Standardbreds (Sept. 25) and Hoosier Champions Night (Oct. 9).

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While the racing action heats up, so too do the on-track promotions during the summer months at Harrah's Hoosier Park. The summer line-up is headlined by Fireworks following the conclusion of live racing on Saturday, July 4. The premier destination in the city of Anderson, Indiana, for fireworks, the track prepares for the semi-quincentennial following a record turnout of over 4,000 Anderson locals making their way to the property in 2025. The Fourth of July program will have a standard first post of 5:30 p.m. and also features a free concert by My Yellow Rickshaw, in addition to trackside entertainment during live racing.

Other family fun events include Empire of Hope, a fundraiser for the Standardbred Transition Alliance on Saturday, July 25. Complete with rides, carnival games, food trucks and more, Empire of Hope will also include the Reins To The Road drawings, with over $30,000 in prizes on the line, including a camper, a zero-turn mower and more. There will also be a free Amish country dinner available on the track apron during this event while supplies last. Harrah's Hoosier Park raised a record $75,000 for the Standardbred Transition Alliance in 2025.

Every night of the racing season, guests on trackside can enjoy beer specials, with $2 Busch Lights and $5 domestic drafts available at all trackside outlets during live racing.

For more information on the 2026 live racing season, guests are encouraged to visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.

--press release (Harrah's Hoosier Park)--