Horse racing has been a part of Indiana's history for over a century, and is entrenched enough in the state's identity that the nickname for its basketball team, the Pacers, is taken not only from the pace car in the Indy 500 but also from Standardbred pacers. Dan Patch, one of the greatest pacers of all time, was born in Oxford, Indiana. Harness racing was one of the most popular sports in the country at the time, and Dan Patch became a superstar. He traveled the country beating all the pacers people could line up to face him.
Horse racing was popular at fairs in Indiana for decades, though the first pari-mutuel track did not open in the state until 1994 when Hoosier Park opened its doors in Anderson, less than an hour's drive from Indianapolis. Hoosier Park originally hosted both harness racing and Thoroughbred racing. Another track even closer to the capital, Horseshoe Indianapolis, opened its doors in 2009. Nowadays, Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses race at Horseshoe Indianapolis, while harness racing has its home at Hoosier Park.
OTB Indianapolis Betting Sites
With two tracks so close to Indianapolis, it is easy to go enjoy live horse racing. However, for bettors who cannot make it to the track or who prefer to avoid the lines and the crowds, there are great options for betting horse racing online from Indanapolis.
These online racebooks let fans and bettors become part of the action from home, or on the go: anywhere with an internet connection. They offer market-leading odds as well as deposit bonuses and rebates that aren't available at the track. Betting the races at an online racebook is the best way for bettors in Indianapolis and all over the country to supercharge their bankrolls!
These are the best online betting sites for horseplayers in Indianapolis.
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Indianapolis Race Tracks
There are two racetracks within a short drive from Indianapolis: Horseshoe Indianapolis and Hoosier Park.
Horseshoe Indianapolis is the racing and casino complex in Shelbyville, Indiana: a quick half-hour drive southeast from the center of Indianapolis. Horseshoe Indianapolis opened in 2009 as Indiana Downs and was also known as Indiana Grand before being given its current name in 2022. It is the home of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing in Indiana, with a meet traditionally running from early spring through the middle of autumn.
Hoosier Park, the first pari-mutuel racetrack in the Indianapolis area, is located in Anderson, Indiana. The track is less than an hour's drive northeast of Indianapolis. Though it has hosted Thoroughbred racing in the past, it is purely a harness track now, fitting since the track is on a street called Dan Patch Circle. Hoosier Park typically starts its meet at the beginning of spring and runs until late November.
Indianapolis Horse Races
The richest race of the Thoroughbred racing year at Horseshoe Indianapolis is the Grade 3 Indiana Derby, a $300,000 event that draws some of the best sophomores in the country. The Indiana Derby got on the national map when Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky won it in 2010, and since then many of the best trainers nationwide target it. The race typically happens in early July, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Indiana Oaks is run the same day. With stakes races in a wide range of divisions on both dirt and turf scheduled for that weekend, it is one of the best betting weekends anywhere in the country!
Horseshoe Indianapolis also runs rich Quarter Horse stakes all meet long, with a rich day of finals typically run in late October. The $125,000 Governors Stakes for open juvenile company and the $150,000 Miss Roxie Little Futurity for Indiana-bred juveniles are the richest of the year, though there are rich stakes for horses of all ages spread throughout the meet.
On the harness side, Hoosier Park's annual showpiece is the $300,000 Dan Patch Stakes. Fitting for a race named after a superstar pacer who remained in superstar form until the age of 10, the race is open to older pacers and is typically contested in early August. Hoosier's top race for trotters is the $200,000 Caesars Trotting Classic, a mid-September event for three-year-olds and up.
Hoosier Park also is on the regular rotation for the Breeders Crown, the end-of-year championship races across all divisions of harness racing. Hoosier hosted the Breeders Crown for the first time in 2017, and has subsequently hosted the prestigious event in both 2020 and 2023.
Off Track Betting in Indianapolis
The Indiana Horse Racing Commission oversees horse racing, pari-mutuel wagering, and OTB locations across the state. In addition to simulcast wagering at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Hoosier Park, Indianapolis bettors can also visit an OTB in downtown Indianapolis, or four other racing and sports books across the state and bet horse races all around the world.