A Grand Day in Indiana

Indiana Grand hosts its biggest day of racing, including the $500,000 Indiana Derby, this Saturday. (Photos by Geoff Worden)
Sure Keeneland opens this weekend and everyone is excited about that, but donʼt forget the $500,000 Indiana Derby! Oct. 4, post time 9:30pm, in Shelbyville, Indiana, the home of Indiana Grand (the renamed Indiana Downs). The Derby anchors the track's biggest day of racing.
Tom Crean, head basketball coach of the Indiana Hoosiers, and Rick Pitino, racehorse owner and head basketball coach of the Louisville Cardinals, will be on hand along with a number of other basketball stars, including some ex-Pacers and members of the 1954 Indiana state champion team (the team that inspired the movie Hoosiers). Raquel Pomplun, Playboy Playmate of the Year, will also make an appearance; her title is of a more recent vintage, 2013.
First post is 5:05 p.m. ET and there are 8 stakes races, including two Grade 2s! Vicarʼs in Trouble will be there with Rosie Napravnik and this Louisiana boy is excited about seeing the horse that completed the Bayou Double by winning the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds and then the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.
WINNER'S CIRCLE SPORTSBAR

Go early, make a day of it, and take these some recommendations for eating and drinking. I visited the casinoʼs brewpub recently and was impressed. The Winnerʼs Circle is a brewpub meets OTB and it is a paradise of TVs with sports and racing everywhere you look. The huge bar is a great spot to be but there are also plenty of tables to set up camp. A healthy array of tap handles provided plenty of choices.
Rail Splitter IPA offered a medium amber color and an appropriately bitter snap of hops that made my mouth water. The long finish displayed plenty of roasted notes and the beer was full of flavor without being heavy. Sun King Cream Ale is a classic style and one of Miss Wrightʼs favorites but it didnʼt taste right, not bad, but not like cream ale. We figured a line got switched somewhere. I finished with a Cutterʼs Monon Wheat which was excellent: fresh and summery with enough lemon citrus that no lemon wedge was needed. It was refreshing.
GLOWING WINNER'S CIRCLE MENUS

We ordered two appetizers from their glowing menus, Bam Shrimp Skewers and Pub Cheese Fries. Fried shrimp is always a good thing and with the addition of “Asian Zing Sauce” this version was irresistible. The creamy sauce balanced out the gentle spiciness and the shrimp were fried to perfection. I am used to, and spoiled by, very fresh shrimp in New Orleans, but I was amazed at how well the delicate shrimp flavor shone through in this dish. The apple that appears in the bok choy slaw made me stop and pay attention to this side. The apples added a welcome crisp, juicy accent.
The Pub Cheese Fries were loaded with tasty bacon crumbles and the potatoes were fairly crisp. The cheese is more of a sauce but it tastes good and gets down below the top level of fries because of its more liquid state. This is a true belly filler, both for its sturdiness and the fact that itʼs hard to stop eating. The green onions are a bad breath causer but a perfect addition of flavor and texture. Miss Wright recommends the burgers but we had steak to eat! Iʼll share that experience, and more from this coming weekend, soon.
BAM SHRIMP SKEWERS AND PUB CHEESE FRIES

Iʼm not saying you should choose the Indiana Derby over Keeneland and Wise Dan (the most interesting horse in the world) but it seems like you should be at one of those tracks if at all possible! For the adventurous, the post times would allow you to leave Keeneland after Wise Danʼs race and reach Indiana Grand in time for the Derby, just saying. My plans are not set in cement yet, perhaps Iʼll be among the road warriors trying to hit this unusual Daily Double.
Bonus: If you feel like going to Indiana Grand on Friday, Oct 3rd, (first post 3:30pm), Grand Funk Railroad will be on stage at 8:30pm to “help you party it down.”