Horse Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

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.

The post Indiana Derby Day To Remain On Wednesday In 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Friday’s Insights: Centennial Debuts Empire Maker Colt

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

5th-Aqueduct, $80K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 3:25 p.m. ET
ROYAL REALM (Empire Maker) gets his career underway for Centennial Farms and trainer Jimmy Jerkens. A $250,000 Keeneland September acquisiton, the Triple Crown-nominated dark bay is out of an unraced daughter of Golden Sheba (Coronado's Quest), the dam of Godolphin's two-time GISW Wedding Toast (Street Sense), whose son Ya Hayati (Dubawi {Ire}) won the Listed Zabeel Turf at Meydan last month. The colt's third dam includes the recently deceased MGISW Congaree (Arazi) and SW/GISP Sangaree (Awesome Again). TJCIS PPs

A Frosted Firster for the Williamsons…
6th-Santa Anita, $61K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, post time: 6:12 p.m. ET
MARZANNA (Frosted) makes her first trip to the races in the orange-and-yellow colors of her breeder Williamson Racing LLC. The gray is out of Cal-bred SW Excessive Blend (In Excess {Ire}), a daughter of GSW Blending Element (Ire) (Great Commotion), whose other produce include GSW Tiz Elemental (Cee's Tizzy); former 'TDN Rising Star' and GSW Texas Ryano (Curlin); SW & GSP Holladay Road (Street Cry {Ire}); and SW Tiz A Blend (Cee's Tizzy). Just Distorted (Distorted Humor) cost Tommy Town Thoroughbreds $400,000 at KEESEP in 2019 and is out of a Smart Strike half-sister to multiple Canadian GSW Seductively (Thunder Gulch), GSP Pulling G's (Curlin) and MSP Prophetically (Pulpit). TJCIS PPs

The post Friday’s Insights: Centennial Debuts Empire Maker Colt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Notable US-Bred & -Sired Runners in Japan: Feb. 27 & 28, 2021

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses:

Saturday, February 27, 2021
3rd-NKY, ¥9,680,000 ($91k), Maiden, 3yo, 1200m
SLAP SHOT (JPN) (c, 3, Air Force Blue–Laxfield Road, by Quality Road) was sent off at debut odds of 53-10 in a 1400-meter newcomers' event at Toyko Feb. 14 and battled on gamely inside in the final half-furlong to miss by a short head after racing prominently throughout. The bay is out of a stakes-placed half-sister to GISP Zatter (Midnight Lute) who fetched $200K carrying this produce in utero at Keeneland January in 2018. Slap Shot was subsequently purchased for ¥32,940,000 ($305,354) at the Hokkaido Summer Select Yearling Sale in 2019. B-Sakurai Bokujo

Sunday, February 28, 2021
2nd-HSN, ¥9,680,000 ($91k), Maiden, 3yo, 1200m
EIFER LYNX (f, 3, Fed Biz–Polish Silk, by Polish Pro), a half-sister to SW I Got It All (Tiz Wonderful), is out of a six-time winning half-sister to SW Soaring Stocks (Trippi) and MSW & MGSP Razor (Concorde's Tune). The filly's third dam, Royal Ties (Distinctive), produced MGSW & GISP On to Royalty (On to Glory), the dam of Classic winner Louis Quatorze (Sovereign Dancer) and GISW Royal Indy (A.P. Indy). This is also the family of GISW Wildcat Heir (Forest Wildcat) and MGSW J J'sdream (Glitterman). B-David G Campbell (KY)

The post Notable US-Bred & -Sired Runners in Japan: Feb. 27 & 28, 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kentucky Derby Museum Begins Construction On Expanded Black Heritage In Racing Exhibit

Construction is underway on the first floor of Kentucky Derby Museum, where an expanded Black Heritage in Racing exhibit will open at the end of March.

The exhibit, a permanent display inside the Museum since 1993, documents the stories and contributions of Black horsemen in the sport of horse racing. With support from Churchill Downs and the James Graham Brown Foundation, the Black Heritage in Racing exhibit will move from the second floor to a larger and more prominent location on the first floor of the Museum.

The new exhibit space is just under 930 square feet, which is 20 times larger than the current exhibit space. This increased footprint will allow the Museum to display more of its collection of artifacts pertaining to Black History in the sport, add new components such as oral history interviews and artwork, and provide visitors the best experience possible. The exhibit walks guests through Black Heritage in horse racing history, from the early days when Black horsemen dominated the sport, to the Jim Crow era that led to the exclusion of Black jockeys, and to modern times.

Black Heritage in Racing Collection

The Black Heritage in Racing Collection at the Museum features several components, including the expanded exhibit, a new tour, and “Proud of My Calling,” a monthly, 60-minute live acting performance that brings the stories of Black horsemen to life. A Black Heritage in Racing traveling exhibit will be created to travel to museums, community centers, visitor centers and churches. Additionally, the Museum's Education Team teaches thousands of students each year through two programs focusing on Black Heritage in Racing during field trips, in-school teaching and virtual learning.

The post Kentucky Derby Museum Begins Construction On Expanded Black Heritage In Racing Exhibit appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post