Young Carson Conrad ready for Hoosier Park opening

Hightstown, NJ — Harness driver driver Carson Conrad has driven at Harrah’s Hoosier Park in the past, but Friday will be a little different for the 19-year-old. The fifth-generation horseman will compete at the central Indiana oval for the first time on opening night.

“It’s awesome,” said Conrad, an Indianapolis native who has four drives on Friday’s 15-race card at Hoosier Park. “Obviously, I’m excited because I’ve been waiting all winter. It’s different driving on the first night than just coming in during the middle of the year. A bunch of people are going to be watching, but you can’t let that affect you. You just have to pay attention and do your thing.

“I’m driving with some great drivers; we’re going to be back all together again and get started up.”

Conrad, the son of trainer-driver Charlie Conrad, notched four of his 25 wins in 2023 at Hoosier Park. He had 13 victories at the Indiana fairs — good for a top 10 finish among drivers on the circuit — and added eight triumphs competing in Kentucky. His horses hit the board in 88 of his 242 starts and earned $214,808.

In 2022, Conrad drove 121 times, had five wins, and $75,842 in purses. He began his career in 2021, racing 13 times and getting his first win at the Fayette County Fairgrounds in Connersville.

“I’ve never even had a hint of doing anything else,” Conrad said about working with the horses. “To see myself improve in the three years of driving, and the amount of success I had last year, has been amazing. I was lucky to sit behind some really good horses last year, at least they’re good in my eyes, and it seemed I was always in the right spot at the right time to make the right move.

“My dad has helped me learn a lot of patience. Patience is a big key in this game. If you don’t have patience, if you get over antsy, it doesn’t go so well. I’ve learned to feel the race and when to make my moves.”

Conrad enjoys racing at the fairs and hopes to participate on the circuit even more in 2024.

“I love the fairs,” he said. “I guess it goes back to when I was young, I was at every county fair with my dad. It brings back good memories. And I like the people I’m around, I like driving with everybody at the fairs.

“Hopefully, I can drive at the fairs a little more this year. That’s where you start. You start doing good at the fairs and you move your way up.”

Conrad’s four drives on Friday at Hoosier Park include sitting behind 3-year-old male pacers Hereisthedesire and Rockin Cosette in separate $15,000 divisions of the Jarrod Duncan Memorial and with 3-year-old female pacer Rockinwithdave in a $15,000 division of the Rosie Harness Memorial. The races are conditioned events for Indiana-sired horses.

Rockinwithdave won six times at the fairs last season and finished second in the Governor’s Cup Series championship. Hereisthedesire and Rockin Cosette also won multiple races on the fair circuit. All three are trained by Conrad’s father.

“Hereisthedesire is just a shifty horse,” Conrad said. “He can do everything. He can leave, he can duck. He can do it on the front, he can do it from behind. I’ve never had a horse with this much raw speed before. He just has to put his mind to it.

“I liked Rockin Cosette a lot at 2 and he never got rolling, and when he did get rolling, the next start he would draw bad. I like him even more this year. He trained down awesome and qualified really good. I think he has the potential to be a good horse for us, and another horse for me to learn from and be successful with.

“Rockinwithdave had some issues about halfway through the year and went off her winning ways, but she still had a good year. I think she is going to learn a bunch in her first few starts this year.”

In addition to working with his dad and younger brother Carder with their own eight-horse stable, Conrad helps at the stable of Amy and Kyle Husted.

“I can’t put into words how excited I am for this year,” Conrad said. “Me and my dad and my brother have an amazing group of horses, I think. I want to be as busy. I don’t want to lose any ground. I’ll be all right if these horses are as good as I think they are.”

Racing begins at 6:15 p.m. (EDT) on Friday at Hoosier Park. For more about the start of Hoosier Park’s season, click here. For free daily Hoosier Park programs, visit the track’s website click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA