Hoosier Park: Barn area set to open May 11; racing could resume June 14

After receiving approval from the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, Harrah's Hoosier Park will begin the process of reopening its barn area on Monday, May 11.

Horsemen will be assigned days and times for arrival to ensure an orderly entrance into the Harrah's Hoosier Park barn area. On May 11, horses located in Indiana will be eligible to start moving into the barn area that will house 600 horses when at capacity. Horses outside the state of Indiana will be allowed entrance beginning, Sunday, May 24. A return to normal hours and days of training will take place on Monday, May 18.

"We couldn’t be more pleased to be able to open up our barn area to our loyal horsemen who have been so patient during this most difficult of times," said Trent McIntosh, Senior Vice President and General Manager. "The delay in opening of our 2020 meet has been difficult for everyone and we appreciate our Governor, Eric Holcomb, and the Indiana Horse Racing Commission staff for their leadership and guidance. We look forward to racing in the near future in a manner whereby we will take every precaution to ensure the health and safety of our employees and horsemen."

Qualifying races will be conducted on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday schedule starting on Tuesday, May 19 up to the beginning of the meet, after which Qualifying days will return to the regular Wednesday and Saturday schedule.

"This is a significant step towards starting our 2020 racing season," said Rick Moore, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. "It will be so exciting to have horses out on the track prepping for the start of the meet. We look forward to partnering with the Indiana Standardbred Association on another racing season that the entire Indiana harness racing industry will be proud of."

Alterations to the previously released race dates, condition sheet and stakes schedule will be published online at www.Harrahshoosierpark.com next week. Horsemen are encouraged to contact Harrah’s Hoosier Park Director of Racing, Scott Peine, at (765) 609-4870 for information on all arrival and racing matters.

Please note the above timeline is subject to change should the Governor halt or modify any of these stages of reopening.

-(edited release (Hoosier Park)

Phased approach announced for live racing

On Friday, May 1 Indiana’s Governor released a five-stage phase-in for Indiana businesses to re-open using differing dates through July 4. The Indiana Horse Racing Commission and racetrack management have been working in conjunction with the governor's office to confirm where horse racing falls within this reopening plan and the timeline below outlines those stages. Please be aware that all information relayed below is subject to change at any time as new information becomes available.

In addition, Indiana racetracks have a reopening plan that includes additional protocols and procedures that all participants will be asked to abide by to ensure everyone’s health and safety as these stages are rolled out. Both racetracks will be posting those protocols on their website.

Stage 2:

May 11 – Essential travel restrictions are lifted (local non-essential travel allowed). Horses currently located in Indiana will be allowed to begin moving onto the backside of both racetracks. This applies only to those trainers with horses currently located in-state. Please contact Harrah's Hoosier Park or Indiana Grand’s racing office to schedule your arrival date.

Stage 3:

May 24 – No travel restrictions; horses originating from out-of-state are allowed. Horses currently located outside of Indiana will be allowed to begin moving onto the backside of both racetracks. This applies to those trainers with horses originating from out of state. Please contact Harrah's Hoosier Park or Indiana Grand’s racing office to schedule your arrival date.

Stage 4:

June 14 - Pari-mutuel racing allowed to commence – spectator free.

Stage 5:

July 4 – Pari-mutuel racing and County and State fair racing anticipated to begin (with spectators) should there be no change in the ‘Back on Track Indiana’ roadmap.

Governor Holcomb’s 'Back on Track Indiana' roadmap includes four guiding principles the state of Indiana will utilize to determine if the stages outlined continue to move forward. Participants should be aware that if these principles are not met, the stages may be paused, or we may need to return to an earlier stage. Details regarding the principles can be found at www.backontrack.in.gov

"Our industry leaders, from racetrack management, horsemen associations and IHRC staff have been working diligently to advocate for our racing industry to get us to this point. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding as we move forward and navigate through this reopening process," stated Deena Pitman, Indiana Horse Racing Commission Executive Director.

-edited release (Indiana Horse Racing Commission)