ANDERSON — From his apartment where he lived during his undergraduate days at the University of Kentucky, Gabe Prewitt had a clear view of the iconic Red Mile racetrack.
Having grown up on a horse farm, a career in business and horse racing was likely a foregone conclusion for the Lexington, Kentucky native.
“I have always loved horse racing for as long as I can remember,” said Prewitt, who in February was named the new vice president and general manager of racing at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino. He recalled working at the Red Mile, the famed harness racing facility in Lexington known for its one-mile red clay track.
“It just started from there and went on,” he said. “That is what garnered my interest.”
Prewitt worked his way up to the position of vice president of racing at Red Mile. Before that, he worked as the director of racing at Caesars Entertainment, Hoosier Park’s parent company.
The Anderson racino is familiar ground for Prewitt, who has visited the facility a number of times on assignment as a broadcaster for Fox Sports.
Prewitt said assignments at more than 20 tracks in his career have helped him find new inspiration by seeing how other tracks operate and picking up ideas others might not think to bring back to their workplace.
“Gabe has a wonderful reputation in the standard-bred horse racing world,” said Colin Skidmore, senior vice president and general manager at Hoosier Park. “Every property he has worked at, he has been very successful. He also has a nice following that we are excited to bring, with their focus on Harrah’s Hoosier Park.”
Skidmore said Prewitt brings “a fresh vision for the racing industry” to his role at Hoosier Park, which occupies a prominent place on the harness racing calendar. The track hosts the annual Dan Patch Stakes and has also hosted the sport’s premiere event, the Breeders Crown, three times since 2017.
“He has a lot of great ideas and is going to mix things up for us,” Skidmore said. “We are excited for a fresh set of eyes on the operation.”
With its 160-day racing season, Hoosier Park offers Prewitt a new challenge to test his planning skills throughout the year.
“I have never been at a place that has raced that many days,” Prewitt said. “I think 140 is the most I have done. It is a long year, but it is going to be a fun year.”
He said the track’s portfolio of racing talent, as well as its facilities, made the job especially attractive to him.
“I think Hoosier Park, and Indiana in general, racing is great,” Prewitt said. “There are a lot of great horsemen and great horses that compete on a national stage. I think there are so many good things there. We are going to try and take things up a notch, but the foundation is there.”
