30th season opener set at Harrah’s Hoosier Park

A total of 14 races are set for the 30th season opener Friday, March 24 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. The card features all pacing events, including the featured $22,000 Open slated as the eighth race on the card.

Headlining the first Open Pace of 2023 is local favorite Little Rocket Man comes back to Indiana with two starts already this season at Miami Valley, earning one win in 1:51.0. Owned by Russ Beeman and Jack Freeman of Anderson, Little Rocket Man has 38 career wins in 73 career starts and has only missed hitting the board 16 times in his career. His career best time is 1:47.2 taken as a four-year-old and at the time, tied the track record, which was broken last fall by superstar Bulldog Hanover. Little Rocket Man will look to add to his career bankroll of nearly $700,000 from post six with John DeLong in the bike.

Joining Little Rocket Man in the Open is the return of Goldie’s Legacy from the Jeff Cullipher Stable. Also a veteran pacer, the five-year-old son of Always a Virgin makes his 2023 debut in the race off a qualifying win in 1:53.1. Goldies Legacy begins his five-year-old season with 19 wins in 60 starts and more than $532,000 on his card. His career best time of 1:48.1 was taken last year at Harrah’s Hoosier Park. Tyler Smith gets the call behind Goldie’s Legacy from post eight for Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.

The field, in post position order with named driver at the time of the draw, includes Just a Start (Tyler Smith), This Kit Rocks (Joey Putnam), Crooked Smile (John DeLong), Primary Colors (Sam Widger), Crusher Q (Brandon Bates), Little Rocket Man (John DeLong), True Blue Lindy (Tyler Smith) and Goldie’s Legacy (Tyler Smith).