Indiana Grand, Hoosier Park To Welcome Spectators Wearing Face Masks Beginning July 4

In conjunction with the State of Indiana's Stage 4.5 guidelines and confirmed with the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson and Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Shelbyville will welcome back spectators for live racing beginning Saturday, July 4. In addition, simulcast operations will also resume at both properties.

Both Harrah's Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand 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 at both venues except while consuming food or beverages.

Harrah's Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand remain committed to following all safety protocols outlined by the State of Indiana and have implemented Caesars Entertainment Corporation's (“Caesars Entertainment”) new health and safety protocols, which enhance its existing plans and practices in these areas. Both properties are focused on the well-being of team members, guests and their communities, and are working to create environments with enhanced standards of sanitization and physical distancing practices.

Sports book operations at both properties remain closed until further notice. For a full list of all the amenities that will be available, please visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com or www.IndianaGrand.com.

Further updates on Caesars Entertainment's response to COVID-19 can be found at: https://www.caesars.com/corporate/coronavirus-guest-information.

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Diversity in Racing: Deshawn Parker

He grew up on the racetrack, mainly at the old Latonia, spending many a morning and afternoon there with his father Daryl, who worked as a jockey agent, an exercise rider and a racing official. And everywhere he went, Deshawn Parker saw people just like him. Young, Black and eager to make a name for themselves in the sport. It was the ’70s and the ’80s and at whatever track you went to, the majority of backstretch workers were African Americans. Today, they make up a small fraction of a workforce that is dominated by Hispanics.

It’s shocking,” he said. “It went from being mainly all black and now there aren’t many black people back there at all. Honestly, I have no clue why that is. I look at it and think about it every day, but I don’t have an answer for you.”

While he can’t answer why the demographics have changed so much, he is convinced that the absence of Blacks on the backstretch is a reason why there are so few African American jockeys today.

“I grew up on the racetrack and on the backside and that’s why I became a jockey,” said the 49-year-old veteran. “There were a lot of people back there who wanted to be a jockey and the backstretch is where they got their start. Now you don’t have a lot of Black families on the backside anymore, so you don’t have Blacks who want to be a jockey. You don’t get many people who didn’t grow up in racing who decide they want to be jockeys.”

The history of Black riders in this country is well known. They dominated the sport in the 19th century. In the first Kentucky Derby, in 1875, 13 of the 15 riders in the field were Black. Since 1922, only two Blacks have had mounts in the race, Marlon St. Julien in 2000 and Kevin Krigger in 2013.

Today, there are other African American jockeys who have tasted success, but not many. Kendrick Carmouche won numerous riding titles at Parx and can usually be found in the top 10 in the standings at the NYRA tracks. C.J. McMahon rides first call for Karl Broberg at Evangeline Downs and Delta Downs, where he was the second leading rider at the 2019-2020 meet. Parker would like to see ain influx of new Black riders, but he doesn’t see that happening.

But, if a young African American were to come around, they couldn’t find a better role model than Parker or his father.

In 1986, Daryl Parker became a steward, the first African American in U.S. racing history to achieve that position. Deshawn was 16 at the time and, at 5-11, appeared to be too tall to be a jockey. But his father told him that if he finished high school he had his permission to be a rider.

The elder Parker has had to take some time off while battling cancer, but his son said he’s doing well and should return to the stewards’ stand soon. He works in Ohio at Thistledown and Mahoning Valley.

“I idolized him and always tried to learn from the way he did things,” Parker said of his father.

Parker struggled, winning just 60 races total over his first five years of riding. But he kept improving and by the late ’90s was an unstoppable force at Mountaineer Park. In 2010, he led all riders in the nation with 377 wins, becoming the first Black jockey to hold that title since 1895, when James “Soup” Perkins was the leading rider in the nation. He was again the leading rider in the nation in 2011. When Mountaineer cut back on its scheduled and lowered purses, Parker left in 2016.

He’s currently the leading rider at Indiana Grand. Entering Tuesday’s card there, he had won 5,728 races from 34,379 mounts. He’s 22nd among all jockeys in lifetime wins and seventh among active riders.

He has become far more than just the best Black jockey in America.

“While it’s an honor to be the all-time leading Black jockey, you definitely want people to look at you as a good jockey, period.” he said. “You don’t want to be categorized by your color or as just a good Black jockey. It’s the same with a female or a Hispanic, most people just want to be known as a good jockey, period.”

Does he feel that he might have done even better or made it to a top circuit if not for the fact that he is Black?

“Sometimes I think the color of my skin has held me back,” he said. “I’ve never had anyone say anything racist to me to my face. I don’t know what they are saying about me behind my back. But I’m not one to make excuses or find something to blame. If things aren’t working out what I do is just try harder.”

He is a popular veteran, well-liked in the jocks room.

“I might be blind to a lot of things, but what I do is treat everybody with respect,” he said. “When I treat people with respect I expect the same in return. I always try to be polite and treat people the way I would like to be treated.”

Though he has several more good years to come, Parker has already set his goal for when he does retire. He wants to be a steward and envisions some day working alongside his father. If that happens, he will again be a rarity, an African American steward. He wishes there were dozens of Black stewards, but understands why that isn’t the case.

“[African Americans] are not around the track as much as we used to be and I can’t understand why,” Parker said. “Back in the day, it was all Blacks back there, working hard and busting their butts and looking to move up. Now, it’s mainly Hispanic people.  I don’t know what happened or where all the Black people went. But when you don’t have Blacks working in racing at any level, who is going to move up the ranks? You just don’t have many Blacks on the backside or anywhere around the track anymore. It’s a shame.”

The post Diversity in Racing: Deshawn Parker appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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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 25th 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.

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.

Equibase past performances of Indiana Derby nominees

Equibase past performances of Indiana Oaks nominees

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From Gator To Gatorade: Backstretch Café Working Overtime To Serve Indiana Grand

The Backstretch Café at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino has long been a staple for horsemen and horsewomen working in the barn area. Earlier this spring, new safety measures were put in place to follow Covid-19 state restrictions, which altered the business model of the restaurant, located at the entrance to the barn area.

Backstretch Café Food and Beverage Supervisor Melissa Ruddick jumped into action and came up with a plan to serve those who work in the barn area. All she needed was a Gator and some Gatorade to get started.

“We wanted to find a way to continue to serve all the people that work both in the barn area and in our track maintenance department because it's difficult for them to leave and go off property to get food and drinks when they are working,” said Ruddick. “So, we began preparing portable options. We provide service six days a week and now make three rounds on race days to accommodate everyone.”

Ruddick, along with Kayla Dudley, start before morning training hours get underway. Their day begins at 5:30 a.m. and they travel by Gator from barn to barn, offering everything from breakfast sandwiches to cold drinks and hot coffee. Their breakfast service continues until approximately 10 a.m. before they head back to the Café and begin preparing lunch. Pre-packaged sandwiches are put together and the ladies follow the same process through the barns with a flat price of $5, which includes a food item and drink.

“We try to have a few different specials every day for breakfast and lunch,” added Ruddick. “We have even created bags for each order that already includes disposable utensils, condiments, and napkins so it's easy for them to carry. We are cash only to make the process as quick as possible and to avoid as much contact as possible to follow restrictions.”

Ruddick and Dudley make one final swing through the barn area after racing begins at 2:20 p.m. and wrap up their day around 5 p.m., giving participants during the afternoon racing card the opportunity to grab something before or after a race. Once the delivery day is complete, they go through all safety procedures to ensure everything has been sanitized and is ready to go for the next day's deliveries.

“Melissa and Kayla have a sincere care for our horsemen and employees and this service has been very well received, “ said Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing. “The pandemic has forced us into thinking differently about a lot of things which includes how we serve food while following strict protocols in the barn area. We're lucky to have such a wonderful Food and Beverage Team.”

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