SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022) – Racing dates for the 21st season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing were approved by the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) at their regular meeting Thursday, Dec. 1 held at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. A total of 123 racing days are on the calendar with six all-Quarter Horse racing days included in the overall total.
One of the biggest changes for the 2023 racing season is the addition of several Saturday dates from June 3 through Sept. 2. Five of those dates are allotted for Quarter Horse racing with a first post time of 10:45 a.m. Five dates in that time frame will be Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing with a first post of 5:30 p.m. while two dates, July 8 and Aug. 26 will have an earlier post time of 12 p.m. The July 8 date will be the track’s signature event, the 29th running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby which headlines a day of stakes action that exceeds $1 million.
“With the added Saturday dates, we will be able to offer retail customers the opportunity to come out and enjoy racing during the summer,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “We have inserted ourselves into the national weekly racing calendar and found a great fit for our product. Now, we hope to begin the process to establish ourselves during the weekend when racing activity escalates and is a more competitive market. We feel our program has grown enough over the past few years to allot us the opportunity to work for the weekend audiences.”
The general racing calendar will begin with a Monday through Thursday schedule with Monday racing dropped in the summer to accommodate Saturday racing. In September, the schedule will go back to the original format of Monday through Thursday.
In addition to Indiana Derby, the fourth annual Indiana Champions Day, also featuring stakes races in excess of $1 million, is slated for Saturday, Oct. 28 with a first post of 12 p.m.
Horseshoe Indianapolis will also conduct live racing on three holidays during the meet. Racing will be held Monday, May 29 for Memorial Day and Tuesday, July 4 for Independence Day with a first post of 12 p.m. Racing will also be held Saturday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day featuring an all-Quarter Horse card beginning at 10:45 a.m.
Photos by Coady Photography
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