Shelbyville, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – Indiana Grand Racing & Casino announced
Monday that the $500,000 Indiana Derby will be run on Saturday, July 18.
The 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby, along with the Indiana Oaks, had been conducted
in October.
“We have been considering a date change for our Indiana Derby the past few
years, mainly to avoid inclement weather, and we found the perfect spot in
mid-July,” said Kevin Greely, director of racing. “By moving the Indiana Derby
to the summer, it will give racing fans the opportunity to enjoy the race
during warmer weather and it will also give Indiana Grand the opportunity to
create a multi-day festival leading up to the big race. We have added an
additional day of racing that week, and will offer more than $1.6 million in
purses for 12 stakes over four days.”
Indiana Grand’s 2015 racing season with 120 programs gets underway Tuesday,
April 21.
“We are really focusing on the quality of our stakes program and have added
two new open stakes races to expand our 2015 schedule,” said Jon Schuster,
vice president and general manager of racing. “Once again, Wednesday afternoon
will be the focus for most of our stakes races. This has proven to be a great
spot for a national audience. In addition, it gives us the opportunity to draw
entries from some top stables in the region, boosting the quality of our
stakes as well as our overnight races.”
The 120-day race meet will conclude Saturday, Oct. 31 with four stakes races
highlighting the inaugural “Indiana Champions Night,” featuring the best
state-bred horses of Indiana.
