Indiana Grand | Horse Racing Free Tips

Indiana Grand Provides Donation To Kickstart Shelbyville’s ‘Festival Of Lights’

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino recognizes the vast amount of activities either canceled or postponed for the community this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. As a result, the company has made a $10,000 donation to Shelby Parks and Recreation to kickstart a new holiday tradition. “Festival of Lights” will soon be coming to Shelbyville's Blue River Memorial Park in cooperation with the City of Shelbyville, who also matched the funds for the light display.

A total of 17 light fixtures will be on display on the inner circle of Blue River Memorial Park beginning with the kick-off of the annual Holiday Parade at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. The parade will extend from Walmart to Blue River Memorial Park, featuring the new “Holiday of Lights” near the end of the route. The light display will then be available nightly from 5 until 9:30 p.m. through Christmas Eve. The light display will be free to those driving through, and those wishing to make a donation may do so at the end of the display.

“We are really excited, and the Mayor is really excited too about this donation,” said Karen Martin, Parks Department Director. “Because of COVID-19, people haven't been able to get out and our programs are just now starting up. We've been wanting to do something like this for a long time, we just couldn't get the buy-in to get it started. Hopefully, it will grow each year.”

The donation is part of the ongoing operational plan from Indiana Grand Racing & Casino's Community Outreach program for 2020. The committee was searching for a way to support an event in the community when the “Festival of Lights” concept came into focus.

“It's been a very tough year for a lot of folks, and we wanted to do something special for the community,” said Mike Rich, senior vice president and general manager at Indiana Grand. “We believe supporting an event such as the light display will provide the entire area with a new way to celebrate the holiday season. We are always proud to partner with the City of Shelbyville on events such as this one.”

Along with the Parks Department and the City of Shelbyville, the Shelby County Tourism and Visitor's Bureau is also getting involved to enhance the holiday parade and “Festival of Lights” experience.

“It should be a great way to kick off our holiday season here in Shelby County,” added Martin. “We hope those driving through will consider a donation so we can expand and add to the display in the future.”

Racing is held Monday through Thursday until Thursday, Nov. 19. All-Quarter Horse racing is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 24. For more information, go to www.indianagrand.com.

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Unbridled Class Named Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program’s 2019 Horse Of The Year

Indiana-sired and -bred filly Unbridled Class was named the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program's Horse of the Year for 2019, capping a stellar year that saw the then 4-year-old filly earning $255,695 in 2019 alone.

The award is the pinnacle of the Indiana program for breeders and owners Bernard Flint and Ron Hillerich. Unbridled Class's 2019 earnings also earned her sire, Unbridled Express, the 2019 Stallion of the Year; and Flint the 2019 Stallion Owner of the Year awards.

“We are thrilled. We're humbled,” says Hillerich, a lawyer based in Kentucky. “We're just so happy to be part of the Indiana racing scene. It's quality people, which we enjoy, it's a quality track, and it's a quality experience.”

The gray filly is the product of generations of breeding. Flint and Hillerich bred the dam of Unbridled Express. So it shouldn't be a surprise that because of the banner year for the filly that her dam, Miss Carmelite, would be named the 2019 Broodmare of the Year.

Bred in partnership by Flint's LTB Inc. and Hillerich's Hillerich Racing, LLC, Unbridled Class ranked 63rd by wins in the Top 100 Thoroughbreds racing in North America. Wins included allowance races, stakes placings and black type stakes wins at not only her home base Indiana Grand Racing and Casino, but also at Fair Grounds Race Course, located in New Orleans, La.

Unbridled Class kick-started the year on New Year's Day, winning a $40,000 allowance at Fair Grounds on a sloppy, sealed track. “That race raised my eyebrows,” says Hillerich.

It also was the start of a four-race win streak and she finished no worse than second from February through the end of the year, acquiring a race record of 10 starts, six wins, three seconds and one third in 2019.

The filly's first stakes win came after a stumble at the start in the 2019 Merrillville Stakes at Indiana Grand in September under the expert tutelage of veteran jockey Rodney Prescott, finishing the six furlongs at 1:11.10.

“She (Unbridled Class) is just a really nice, classy mare,” Prescott told media after winning an allowance race earlier this year. “She's done it all, from turf to dirt to different distances. She's won races outside of Indiana, even a stakes race.”

“If you look at her record, she can run on the grass, run on the dirt or slop, she can run short and she can run long,” points out Hillerich.

Off the track, Unbridled Class is all class. Her favorite treats include apples, peppermints and watermelon. According to Hillerich, she has a dream temperament in her stall and on the lead. But, when she steps into the paddock and onto the track, she's all business while staying cool and calm.

“We've been blessed,” he says. “She's beautiful, talented and her disposition is one of those for a lifetime.”

There are no concrete plans for the filly in 2020 and beyond because Flint and Hillerich like to let her do the talking. “The horse tells you what we're going to do,” says Hillerich. “We're just taking it day by day and making sure she stays healthy and sound. I'm looking at the long range for her—when her racing career is over, and I don't know when that'll be, can you imagine what a classic broodmare she will make?”

To date, Unbridled Class has earned almost $400,000, moving her to the top five for Indiana-sired money earners. “She's been so good to us,” says Hillerich in terms of her lifetime earnings. “She's won almost $400,000, and that is before getting the additional 30 percent that Bernie and I get from the Indiana breed development program—10 percent for owning the stallion and 20 percent for breeding the filly.”

The Indiana bred Horse of the Year is determined by the total earnings while racing at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino in Shelbyville. Horses are eligible for the Indiana-bred program if breeders follow registration and residency guidelines for broodmares and their foals. More information can be found on the Indiana Horse Racing Commission website: https://www.in.gov/hrc/tb/

The 2019 Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development and Indiana Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association award winners will be recognized during the first ever Indiana Breeders Day held at Indiana Grand on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The day is meant to celebrate Indiana's Thoroughbred breeders and stallion owners, and will feature a race card hosting four Indiana sired stakes, including the first running of the Unreachable Star and Lady Fog Horn Stakes, contested at 1 1/16 miles for horses three years and older. The two year olds will battle it out in the Crown Ambassador and Indian Stallion Fillies Stakes over six furlongs.

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Two Additional Race Dates Added To 2020 Indiana Grand Schedule

The Indiana Horse Racing Commission approved two additional 2020 racing dates for Indiana Grand at their regular monthly meeting Thursday, Oct. 1. The two dates will be included on the final week of racing, increasing the schedule to 92 days for Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse action and a total of 96 days overall, adding in four days dedicated to all-Quarter Horse racing.

The two additional dates added to the schedule will be Monday, Nov. 16 and Thursday, Nov. 19, which will become the new closing date for the 18th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand. Post time for both days is 2:20 p.m.

“While the unprecedented COVID conditions have been difficult, our meet thus far has been a success by any measure,” said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing at Indiana Grand. “With our total handle being up almost 60 percent over the same days in 2019, we're thrilled to add two additional racing days and more opportunities for our horsemen near the end of the meet.”

The two additional dates are expected to include both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing.

Racing is held Monday through Thursday until Thursday, Nov. 19. All-Quarter Horse racing is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 24. For more information, go to www.indianagrand.com.

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Apprentice Morales Living Up To His Commitments At Indiana Grand

The 2020 season has brought challenges to those involved in racing. With COVID-19 regulations in place, Indiana Grand jockeys must only ride in Indiana, and those coming in must adhere to specific rules, including a 14-day quarantine. It's a commitment that Apprentice Jockey Joshua Morales didn't back down from.

A native of Puerto Rico, Morales knows all about commitment. He attended his country's Escuela Vocacional Hipica Agustin Mercado Reveron jockey school at Camarero Race Track near San Juan. Known for its rigorous curriculum that spans up to two years, Morales entered the school and graduated last August at the age of 19, ready to tackle the world of Thoroughbred racing.

“My two uncles (Wilfredo Rohena and Jose Rohena) are jockeys at Finger Lakes,” said Morales through his valet, Ramiro Torres. “I came to the United States a couple different times and worked as a hot walker at Finger Lakes, but I never had any plans to be a jockey. My friends influenced me because of my size and build. That's how I ended up going to jockey school.”

Morales began riding in Puerto Rico and in January, relocated to Turfway Park, which eventually took him to Belterra Park. Although he was riding a lot, his business wasn't taking him in the direction he wanted, so a suggestion from Nelson Figueroa, clerk of scales at Belterra, got him connected to agent Francisco Torres.

“Nelson and I go way back and a recommendation from him was all I needed,” said Torres. “I'm always shopping for another apprentice. I feel in this stage in my life, it's time to give back and working with these younger riders is what I like. He sure looks great on a horse and he has great hands. When he puts everything together, look out.”

Morales made the move to Indiana Grand and put in the mandatory time for the 14-day quarantine. During that time, Morales worked on an equicizer and Torres began to share some pointers for the apprentice, who turns 21 next week.

“Cisco has helped me out a lot,” said Morales. “Not only on the track but off the track, helping me find an apartment for my family and getting settled. He has corrected a few things already about my riding and helped me improve.”

Morales got out of the gate with a win on his very first day of competition at Indiana Grand, Sept. 7. Since that time, he has scored two riding doubles with seven wins total in only 10 days of racing. He and Torres are working on short term goals with hopes of opening some doors in the near future.

“The goal is to become leading apprentice here,” added Torres. “Then, he will either go to Turfway or possibly Oaklawn with me. We will just wait and see how it works out.”

Morales and his partner, Chareen, have two young sons, Owen, age four, and Harlan, 16 months. He also has support from his father, Javier, who is a former exercise rider. He is currently overseeing his son's start in racing.

“His two uncles wanted bigger and better things for him, so that is why he didn't go to Finger Lakes,” said Javier. “Jockey school was very good for him. It is very disciplined. The last semester, they have 20 races a day, 10 for a start of a race and 10 for a finish of a race. There were five that graduated from his class and four are now riding in the United States. He even had a personal trainer in school that helped him learn about keeping his weight down and keeping in shape.”

One of those graduates with Morales, Alex Crispin, competed at Indiana Grand in the first few weeks of competition this year before relocating to Delaware Park. Another from the same class includes Marielis Cosme currently riding at Mountaineer Park.

Racing is held Monday through Thursday until Wednesday, Nov. 18. All-Quarter Horse racing is set for Saturday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 24. For more information, go to www.indianagrand.com.

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