Hoosier Park
Just north of Indianapolis, Indiana, Hoosier Racing and Casino hosts more than 120 days of standardbred racing action every year, including the historic Dan Patch Invitational, honoring Indiana’s favorite racing son and arguably the greatest pacer to ever live.
Hoosier Park Track Layout
Hoosier Park boasts an atypical 7/8 mile dirt oval for harness racing. For years after its opening, Hoosier Park hosted both standardbred and thoroughbred racing, and thus the need for a track longer than the more common half-mile found at tracks designed exclusively for harness racing.
Track History & Quick Facts
Born in Oxford, Indiana in 1896, the namesake of the $250,000 Dan Patch Invitational Trot was one of the the greatest harness-racing colts the sport has ever seen, having never lost a race in his nine-year career, and setting 14 world speed records in the process. His official fastest time of 1:55 1/4 for the mile (set in a time trial rather than a race) stood for 32 years, and the unoffical time of 1:55 lasted until 1960.
A true sports superstar, Dan Patch traveled the country to speed exhibitions via a private train car. His image endorsed everything from toys to cereal to washing machines, and at his hieght he earned more than $1,000,000 a year for his owner - by comparison, baseball star Ty Cobb was earning less than $15,000 a year at the same time.
Hoosier Park Betting Odds
When you can’t get to the track, wagering through an online racebook is the best way to get in on the action. Our recommended racebooks give competitive odds, and guaranteed customer service.
