Indiana Trainers Express Concern About Testing In The Wake Of Earlier Post Times

Several trainers with horses entered at Indiana Grand on Wednesday and Thursday are concerned that the track's decision to move up post times, from 2:25 p.m. to 10:00 a.m., could cause their horses to test above the state's threshold for therapeutic medications.

Indiana Grand management officially announced the time change on Monday, due to projected high temperatures. By that point, however, trainers had already treated their horses with legal medications on Sunday, 72 hours out from the original post time for Wednesday's races.

That 4 1/2-hour difference in post times could prove to be significant in post-race testing — especially, trainers argued, considering the extremely small amounts at which the lab is able to test for therapeutic medications.

Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing at Indiana Grand, said that while he understood the trainers' concerns, there would be no special dispensation from the commission, and that the allowable thresholds for those medications would remain at their present levels. If trainers did not believe their horses would pass post-race testing, or were concerned, Halstrom indicated that there would be no penalty for scratching.

In this heat, for the last couple of weeks, the stewards have been letting anybody out because of the heat,” Halstrom said. “I'm more than supportive of them scratching, if that's what they feel they need to do.”

Indiana Grand does have lights on the dirt course, but not on the turf, and a pair of state-bred turf stakes races scheduled for Wednesday's card would have to have been moved had the track chosen to push the post times back, instead of moving them up.

“Those people have been paying into those races, and they deserve the right to run in them as scheduled,” said Halstrom. “Essentially what it came down to, we were either going to have to cancel, or we were going to do this.”

Wednesday's card saw a total of 18 scratches from 101 entries. Four of those were main-track-only entrants, and two were from the also-eligible list. The average field size was 9.18 starters before scratches; after scratches, average field size decreased to 7.54 starters, a difference of 17.9 percent.

By way of comparison, Monday's card, which was held at the regularly-scheduled post time of 2:25 p.m., saw eight scratches, including two also-eligibles. The average field size was 8.2 starters before scratches; after scratches, average field size decreased to 7.4 starters, a difference of 9.8 percent.

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Gun Runner Filly Makes It Two-For-Two at Indiana

3rd-Indiana Grand, $36,000, Alw, 8-23, (NW2L), 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.89, ft, 8 1/4 lengths.
JOYRUNNER (f, 2, Gun Runner–Joy {MSW, $250,544}, by Pure Prize) passed five of her eight rivals in the final furlong to annex her July 8 debut going a sloppy 5 1/2 furlongs and was the 11-10 chalk to put them back-to-back. The McIngvale colorbearer hopped a bit at the break, but was patiently handled and raced three wide into the turn. Roused to the front nearing the quarter pole, the Maryland-bred drifted out off the home corner and raced a bit greenly inside the final furlong, but ran out a facile 8 1/4-length winner. Inbred 4×3 to Storm Cat, Joyrunner is out of a multiple stakes-winning half-sister to MSW O Dionysus (Bodemeister) and hails from the deeper female family of champion Safely Kept. Joy is the dam of a yearling colt by Union Rags, a colt foal by City of Light and most recently returned to the Lane's End stallion barn for a date with Gift Box. Sales history: $145,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-James McIngvale; B-Dark Hollow Farm (MD); T-Laura Wohlers.

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Indiana Grand Moves First Post to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday Due to Extreme Heat

Due to forecasted extreme heat Wednesday, Aug. 25 and Thursday, Aug. 26, Indiana Grand has changed post times for each of those days. Racing will now begin at 10 a.m. to accommodate the participants scheduled to race.

“The forecasted temperatures are the most extreme we have seen in Shelbyville in decades,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “Keeping in mind that the health of our staff and equine athletes always comes first, we have decided to move our post times so we can avoid the highest temperatures. This decision isn't made with business interests in mind but for the safety of all participants while giving our loyal horsemen the opportunity to race.”

The program Wednesday, Aug. 25 includes 11 races. The final race will have an estimated post time of approximately 2:50 p.m. The program Thursday, Aug. 26 includes nine races with the final race of the day slated for 1:50 p.m.

Training hours for both days have also been moved to accommodate the early post. Training will now be held from 6-9 a.m.

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Indiana Grand Moves Post Times Up Due To Extreme Heat

Due to forecasted extreme heat on Wednesday, Aug. 25 and Thursday, Aug. 26, Indiana Grand has changed post times for each of those days. Racing will now begin at 10 a.m. to accommodate the participants scheduled to race.

“The forecasted temperatures are the most extreme we have seen in Shelbyville in decades,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “Keeping in mind that the health of our staff and equine athletes always comes first, we have decided to move our post times so we can avoid the highest temperatures. This decision isn't made with business interests in mind but for the safety of all participants while giving our loyal horsemen the opportunity to race.”

The program Wednesday, Aug. 23 includes 11 races. The final race will have an estimated post time of approximately 2:50 p.m. The program Thursday, Aug. 24 includes nine races with the final race of the day slated for 1:50 p.m.

Training hours for both days has also been moved to accommodate the early post. Training will now be held from 6 – 9 a.m.

The 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing is now in progress and continues through Monday, Nov. 8. Live racing is conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, beginning at noon. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.caesars.com/indiana-grand.

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