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Leparoux Eyeing Oaks-Derby Double In The Hoosier State

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Julien Leparoux will come into Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, Ind., on Wednesday, July 8 seeking a record fifth win in the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks with Nancy and Mark Stanley's Tempers Rising. He will also seek his second title in the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby aboard Winning Impression.

Leparoux is one of only four jockeys to win both stakes in the same year, having done so in 2011 with Wilburn in the Indiana Derby and Juanita in the Indiana Oaks. He is the only rider to win three straight runnings of the Indiana Oaks, coming home a winner with Family Tree in 2016, Overture in 2017 and Talk Veuve to Me in 2018.

Should Leparoux pull off the double, he'd be the first jockey to complete the Indiana Derby-Indiana Oaks parlay twice. With Dallas Stewart training both horses, he'd also become the second rider to sweep the races for the same trainer, as Martin Garcia did in 2010 on the Bob Baffert-trained Always a Princess and Preakness Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky.

Leparoux, who is riding regularly at Ellis Park for the first time after spending his summers at Saratoga for most of his career, has ridden West Point Thoroughbreds' Winning Impression twice, including finishing fourth at 20-1 odds in the May 2 Arkansas Derby in the gelding's last start. Of the three horses that beat Winning Impression, victorious Charlatan and third-place Gouverneur Morris are sidelined. Runner-up Basin is running in Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass.

“He ran a good race,” Leparoux said of Winning Impression's Arkansas Derby, which helped make the gelding the Indiana Derby's 3-1 favorite. “Obviously he hasn't run since. But he's got a big chance. He ran a big race over there. Hopefully we can get it done over there in Indiana.”

Leparoux has ridden Tempers Rising in her last six starts. That includes the Fair Grounds' series for 3-year-old fillies, when Tempers Rising was third by a total of a neck in the Silverbulletday, fourth in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra and second to Bonny South in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks.

A daughter of 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern, Tempers Rising is a good horse to bet in the exacta, with a win, three seconds and a third in seven starts at or about the Indiana Oaks' 1 1/16-mile distance. The exception is a seventh-place finish in a Churchill Downs allowance in her last start.

“But for the last race, she's been very consistent for me,” Leparoux said of the Indiana Oaks' 10-1 shot. “I think the last race is a throwout, hopefully anyway. But she was running very good at the Fair Grounds this winter, running second in a stakes over there.”

First post for the 12-race Indiana Derby Day program gets underway at 2:20 p.m. ET. The Derby is slated as the 11th on the card with an estimated post time of 7:45 p.m. The Oaks will precede the Derby in Race 11 with an estimated post time of 7:10 p.m. A total of six stakes will be featured on the card, bringing purses for the day to nearly $1 million.

Spectators will be allowed to attend in accordance with State of Indiana and Indiana Horse Racing Commission guidelines. Reduced capacity for attendance will be in place and all guests are strongly encouraged to wear face masks in all locations. Face masks are required while indoors except for guests who are consuming food or beverages.

Live racing continues through Wednesday, Nov. 18. Action is held Monday through Thursday beginning at 2:20 p.m. Post times for the all-Quarter Horse programs is to be determined.

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Major Fed Tops Field Of 10 Seeking Derby Points In Wednesday’s Indiana Derby

A field of 10 has been drawn for the 26th running of the Grade 3 Indiana Derby Wednesday, July 8 at Indiana Grand. The race is part of the Kentucky Derby Championship Series with the top four finishers earning points toward the 2020 Kentucky Derby set for Saturday, Sept. 5. The Indiana Derby is carded as the 11th on the 12-race card with an estimated post time of 7:45 p.m. First post for the afternoon card is 2:20 p.m.

Leading the list of entrants for Indiana's richest horse race is Major Fed from the Greg Foley barn. The son of Ghostzapper finished second earlier this season in the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fairgrounds and returned in the next start for a fourth place finish in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. He competed in the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs in late May and will start from post eight with James Graham aboard.

Joining Major Fed as a contender for the Indiana Derby title is Winning Impression from the Dallas Stewart Stable. The grey Paynter gelding has not raced since early May, finishing fourth in his last start in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. Julien Leparoux gets the call aboard Winning Impression from post nine.

The entire Indiana Derby field, in post position order with jockey, includes: No Getting Over Me (Miguel Mena); Extraordinary (Luis Saez); Taishan (Rafael Bejarano); Earner (Stewart Elliott); Shared Sense (Florent Geroux); Background (Tyler Baze); Juggernaut (DeShawn Parker); Major Fed (James Graham); Winning Impression (Julien Leparoux) and Necker Island (Mitchell Murrill).

Leading into the Indiana Derby is the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks. Heading the field is Graded Stakes winner Shedaresthedevil from the Brad Cox Stable. The Daredevil filly was a winner in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park in March and came back for a third place finish in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes in early May. Her most recent start was a win against allowance company at Churchill Downs in early June. Shesarethedevil will be ridden by Florent Geroux from post six in the 10-horse lineup.

The Indiana Derby Day card features six stakes total with purses for the day just under the $1 million mark. The program begins at 2:20 p.m. with the 12th running of the $75,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes. Other stakes on the card include the $75,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Fillies Stakes, the $75,000 Indiana General Assembly Distaff (Listed), and the $75,000 Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial (Listed). A special $100,000-guaranteed Pick 5 pool will be offered on the last five races of the program, beginning with the Indiana General Assembly Distaff in Race 8.

Indiana Grand recently received permission to allow spectators during live racing. The facility will operate at reduced capacity, in accordance with State of Indiana and the Indiana Horse Racing Commission guidelines. All guests will be strongly encouraged to wear face masks in all locations, but will be required to wear face masks while indoors except while consuming food or beverages. Doors will open at Noon on Indiana Derby Day.

Live racing continues through Wednesday, Nov. 18 with action held Monday through Thursday beginning at 2:20 p.m. Four Saturday programs are slated for all-Quarter Horse days set for July 4, Aug. 8, Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.

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55 Nominated To July 8 Indiana Derby; Kentucky Derby Points On The Line

The Grade 3, $300,000-guaranteed Indiana Derby is setting up to be very promising for Wednesday, July 8. A total of 55 nominations have been collected for the richest horse race in the state of Indiana, the second highest total in the 26-year history of the event. The Derby will be run at a distance of one and one-eighth miles for the first time in 2020.

The Indiana Derby is part of the Kentucky Derby Championship Series for 2020. The first four finishers will receive qualifying points (20-8-4-2) toward the Kentucky Derby, set for Saturday, Sept. 5.

The Indiana Derby list includes several that have their eye on the first Saturday in September, including 13 graded stakes placed 3-year-olds. Pneumatic comes into the race off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 $1 million Belmont Stakes. A son of Uncle Mo, Pneumatic was third in his previous outing in the Grade 3 $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes prior to his trip to the Belmont. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Pneumatic is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds.

Joining Pneumatic on the nomination list is Ny Traffic. The grey son of Cross Traffic finished second in his last start in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs and was a second-place finisher the start before in the Grade 2, $1 Million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.

The colt with the biggest bankroll on the Indiana Derby Nomination List is Basin from the Asmussen stable. The son of Liam's Map has not started since finishing second in a division of the Grade 1 $500,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park in early May. Owned by Jackpot Farm, Basin has accumulated in excess of $471,000 in career earnings and has only missed the board once in six career starts.

Hall of Fame and Triple Crown-winning Trainer Bob Baffert has nominated three to the Indiana Derby, including Thousand Words, owned by the Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift Farm. The Pioneerof the Nile colt was a winner earlier this year in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita. He is three for five in his career and a start in the Indiana Derby would be his first since running in the Oaklawn Stakes in Arkansas in early April.

Indiana Derby Day will feature purses in excess of $800,000 and will include the 25^th running of the Grade 3, $200,000-guaranteed Indiana Oaks. The race is Indiana's first graded stakes event and has attracted 35 nominations. Asmussen has nominated multiple graded stakes-placed Comical, who finished second in her last start at Oaklawn Park in the Gardenia Stakes. The Into Mischief filly was a second-place finisher last year in the Grade 1, $300,000 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

Another top filly on the Indiana Oaks list is Bonny South, winner in her last start in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks. Hailing from the Brad Cox barn, the Munnings filly is two for two in 2020.

The Grade 3 Indiana Derby and Grade 3 Indiana Oaks will be joined by the $75,000 Jonathan B Schuster Memorial Stakes (Listed), named in honor of the former Indiana Grand vice president and general manager of racing who passed away last winter. Other stakes on the card include the $75,000 Indiana General Assembly Stakes (Listed) as well as the $75,000 Hoosier Breeders Sophomore Stakes for both colts and fillies.

First post for Indiana Derby Day is set for 2:20 p.m. Eastern. The Indiana Derby has an anticipated post of approximately 7:45 p.m. and will be the final leg of the All-Stakes Pick 4 as well as the Pick 5 on the afternoon card.

Equibase past performances of Indiana Derby nominees

Equibase past performances of Indiana Oaks nominees

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