Indiana Grand to Offer 40 Stakes Worth $3.65 Million

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino's 19th Thoroughbred season starts April 13 and offers 120 days of live racing that will feature 40 stakes with purses in excess of $3.65 million.

Six stakes will be carded for Indiana Derby Day, which returns to the Wednesday slot it was moved to in 2020. The July 7 program will include the 27th running of the Indiana Derby (G3) and the 26th running of the Indiana Oaks (G3).

"We moved Indiana Derby Day to Wednesday in 2020 due to crowd restrictions and other safety protocols in place due to COVID-19," said Eric Halstrom, Indiana Grand's vice president and general manager of racing. "The move proved to be very popular with racing fans across the nation, and the Derby program set an all-time track record for total handle, just missing the $6 million mark. We feel by moving our big day to mid-week, the program receives the recognition it deserves with such high-quality stakes on the card."

Another big Wednesday stakes program will be Sept. 8 when the Shelbyville, Ind., track holds the $150,000 Caesars Stakes for 3-year-olds and the $150,000 Indiana Grand Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, both races at a mile and Indiana's richest turf races. These stakes will be complemented by a pair of 2-year-old stakes—$75,000 Back Home Again Stakes and the $75,000 Circle City Stakes, which were given new names this year through an online contest to rename several stakes. The contest attracted more than 250 responses.

"Our online presence has jumped over the past year and we value the support of those racing fans," said Halstrom. "We wanted to include them in revamping our 2021 stakes schedule and by offering a contest with a prize, it was a way to engage them in the process. We got some really good suggestions, which we have used on 12 stakes for the year."

Indiana Grand's 2021 Thoroughbred Stakes Schedule

The 2021 schedule includes four new open stakes that were also named through the online contest. They are the William Garrett Stakes and the IU Hoosiers Stakes, which are both five-furlong turf races for 3-year-olds and up; the Send it in Army Stakes and the Clarksville Stakes, which are six-furlong dirt races for 3-year-olds and up. Each will offer purses of $65,000.

"We saw an opportunity to add some open stakes to our summer lineup, and we think this will create a lot of variety to our schedule," said Chris Polzin, director of racing/racing secretary. "Plus, the Garrett and IU Hoosiers (set for Aug. 11) gives us two more stakes to showcase on our turf course."

Indiana Grand will also place the spotlight on the state-bred program Oct. 30 with Indiana Champions Day. The afternoon card will feature four stakes with total purses exceeding $350,000, including the $100,000 Lady Fog Horn and the $100,000 Unreachable Star Stakes for Indiana-sired fillies and mares and males, respectively. Both stakes will be 1 1/16 miles.

"Indiana Champions Day will be a culmination of the season and a way for us to honor and showcase the top horses in the state," added Polzin. "More than $2.25 million over 28 stakes are dedicated to the Indiana breeding program for horses either bred and/or sired in Indiana."