2026 dates are set for Horseshoe Indianapolis, Hoosier Park
At a quarterly meeting Monday, the Indiana Horse Racing Commission unanimously approved racing dates for both Horseshoe Indianapolis and Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Racing will return in 2026 on Tuesday, April 7, at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Horseshoe Indianapolis is set to offer 123 days of live racing Tuesday, April 7, through Friday, Nov. 13. The majority of the schedule will be held Monday through Thursday, with a first post of 2:10 p.m. Eastern time, with six days reserved for all quarter-horse action during the season.
“We have made a few small changes to our 2026 racing schedule,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “We will begin racing a week earlier and just race two days per week in April. This will assist our racing office to spread out racing over three weeks instead of two when we begin. After talking with our horsemen, it will also benefit them as many stay on the grounds all winter and have their horses ready to race earlier than our customary start time in mid-April.”
A few new dates have been added to the schedule. Racing will be held Friday, May 1, Kentucky Oaks day and a Friday, Oct. 30, racing program will be held for the first day of Breeders Cup action. The 32nd running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby will move a week later to Saturday, July 11.
“Our Indiana Derby is generally held on the first weekend of July, but in 2026, that Saturday falls on July 4,” Halstrom said. “We want to avoid any conflicts with Fourth of July activities, so moving it a week later should bypass a lot of those events. The date will still be good placement for us in the overall racing landscape with regards to other big racing days across North America.”
Only one Saturday evening program will be offered in 2026 featuring Silks ‘N Roses, a new event launched in 2025 to raise funding and awareness for Indiana Women in Need (I.W.I.N.). This event moves to Saturday, June 13, with a first post time of 5:10 p.m.
“We created a new event last year that had overwhelming success, so we want to bring it back in 2026 for a Saturday evening program,” Halstrom said. “This will be our only Saturday evening racing event for the year, but there will be other opportunities to visit the track on weekends with 12 total racing programs slated for Saturdays.”
Quarter-horse racing Saturdays will mirror the schedule in 2025. Racing will begin at 10:45 a.m., showcasing Indiana’s quarter-horse program on the following Saturdays, May 30, June 27, July 18, Aug. 8, Aug. 29 and Oct. 3.
The state’s top Thoroughbred and quarter horses will return for the seventh annual Indiana champions day Saturday, Oct. 24. First post is 12 p.m. with purses exceeding $1 million for the day.
“We are so pleased with how our Indiana champions day has evolved,” Halstrom said. “We just completed our 2025 event with a record handle for the day of more than $2.7 million. It is very rewarding to see how each program for both Thoroughbreds and quarter horses has grown over the past six years.”