Eric Halstrom | Horse Racing Free Tips

Stewards to Provide Televised Explanations for Decisions at Indiana Grand

Indiana Grand Racing and Casino has implemented a new audio and visual system for the track's stewards which will allow Senior State Steward Eric Smith to provide a live, televised explanation from the steward's room on how officials made their decision during an infraction.

“We feel providing an explanation directly from the stewards is a great way to inform fans watching and wagering on our product,” said Eric Halstrom, Indiana Grand's vice President and general manager of racing. “They will now be able explain how they came to a conclusion on a specific ruling and give insight on the information they reviewed and gathered from the jockeys involved in the incident.”

Indiana Grand also announced Thursday it will be using a drone to offer enhanced camera angles for television production of its upcoming Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meets.

“Our team has been challenged to take Caesars' racing to the forefront in technology and a drone is one step in doing so,” said Halstrom. “As we began to pull this new concept in, we started realizing how this drone could really showcase our racing program and set our TV production apart from others. It's important to note we do not plan on changing the way people watch our races but rather complement our current production with innovative views that nobody else is offering in their daily broadcasts. Lastly, we also view this as a potential way to assist the stewards in reviewing races, especially in areas where current camera angles are more difficult than others to see the full action of a race”

The Matrice 200 Drone, which is a little less than three feet in width and stands 16 inches high, is capable of zoom options with adjustable speed and is programmable from location to location. Operators are required to be licensed with the Federal Aviation Administration with a Remote Pilot Certificate. Three of Indiana Grand's audio-visual department team members recently completed training and are now licensed to fly the drone.

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Indiana Derby Day To Remain On Wednesday In 2021

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino is set to open its 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing Tuesday, April 13. To complement 120 days of live action, a total of 40 stakes with purses in excess of $3.65 million will be offered led by the 27th running of the Grade 3 Indiana Derby set for Wednesday, July 7.

Six stakes will be featured on Indiana Derby Day. In addition to the Derby, the 26th running of the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks will be included on the program as the day embraces its new Wednesday slot.

“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, 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 date on the schedule will be the $150,000 Caesars Stakes and the $150,000 Indiana Grand, Indiana's richest turf races. Set for Wednesday, Sept. 8, the two Listed events will be complemented by the $75,000 Back Home Again Stakes and the $75,000 Circle City Stakes, which sport new names in 2021. Both races were part of an online contest to rename several stakes, garnering more than 250 responses.

“Our online presence has jumped over the past year and we value the support of those racing fans,” added 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.”

Four brand new open stakes have been added to the schedule in 2021 and were part of the online contest to create names for the events. Joining the list this year will be the William Garrett Stakes, the IU Hoosiers Stakes, the Send it in Army Stakes and the Clarksville Stakes. Each will offer purses of $65,000 in their first running in 2021.

“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 with Indiana Champions Day Saturday, Oct. 30. The afternoon card will feature four stakes with purses in excess of $350,000, including the $100,000 Lady Fog Horn and the $100,000 Unreachable Star Stakes for Indiana sired fillies and colts, respectively.

“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.”

A full list of Thoroughbred stakes for the 2021 racing season is now available at www.indianagrand.com.

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Expanded 2021 Stakes Schedule at Indiana Grand

The 2021 racing season at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino will feature an expanded stakes schedule of 40 races worth over $3.65 million. The stakes schedule is highlighted by the $300,000 GIII Indiana Derby, which will be held at mid-week for the second time when it is run July 7. That Wednesday card's six-stakes lineup also includes the $200,000 GIII Indiana Oaks.

“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, 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.”

The track's Sept. 8 card will include the $150,000 Caesars S. and the $150,000 Indiana Grand. Those stakes–the state's richest turf races–will be complemented by the $75,000 Back Home Again S. and the $75,000 Circle City S., which sport new names in 2021. Both races were part of an online contest to rename several stakes, garnering more than 250 responses.

New to the Indiana Grand schedule in 2021 are the William Garrett S., the IU Hoosiers S., the Send it in Army S. and the Clarksville S. Each will offer a purse 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] give us two more stakes to showcase on our turf course.”

The complete stakes schedule is available here.

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Indiana Grand To Host AQHA’s Bank Of America Challenge Championships In 2022

For the first time, the elite racing American Quarter Horses from around the world that gather for the Bank of America Challenge Championships will step onto that stage in the state of Indiana, as Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville, Indiana, welcomes the event in 2022.

“We are thrilled to partner with Indiana Grand to host this championship event,” said AQHA Chief Racing Officer Janet VanBebber. “This racetrack and its leadership have welcomed horsemen and promoted American Quarter Horse racing, and we look forward to the opportunity to host the 2022 Bank of America Challenge Championships at a new and growing venue.”

Indiana Grand will become one of only 10 racetracks in history to host the Bank of America Challenge Championships. The program, operated by the American Quarter Horse Association, provides greater opportunity to all racing American Quarter Horses. It offers stakes races held in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, and the horses that qualify through these races are invited to the season-ending Challenge Championships. There are races offered for older horses, fillies and mares, derby and futurity horses, as well as distance specialists. The program pours almost $3 million in purses into the industry every year.

In the past two years, five of the AQHA racing champions earned their championship titles with significant help from the horses' efforts in the Challenge program, with these collective horses earning more than 20 percent of their career earnings from Challenge races.

Indiana Grand has seen its product grow year-over-year, with a 5.3 percent increase in purses and a 35 percent jump in handle in the past five years. The track had the fifth-highest average handle per race for all Quarter Horse tracks in the country at $110,819.

In 2021, the racetrack will add two regional Bank of America Challenge stakes races to its program, including the $30,000-added John Deere Indiana Juvenile Challenge and the $20,000-added Merial Indiana Distaff Challenge.

“Being able to expand our American Quarter Horse program to include the Bank of America Challenge elevates our entire racing operations in Indiana,” said Eric Halstrom, Indiana Grand vice president and general manager of racing. “This challenge will shine a spotlight on our ever-growing American Quarter Horse industry and grant many of our local horsemen the opportunity to participate on a national level. We are excited to partner with AQHA on this endeavor and look forward to welcoming new American Quarter Horse participants and fans into Indiana for the first time in the history of the Challenge.”

To learn more about the Bank of America Racing Challenge, visit www.aqha.com/bank-of-america-racing-challenge.

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