1. Kentucky Derby At Indiana Grand Casinos
2. Kentucky Derby At Indiana Grand Casino Players Club
3. Kentucky Derby At Indiana Grand Casino Buffet

Kentucky Derby At Indiana Grand Casinos

The bosses on both sides of the river got a surprise two years ago with the success of Churchill's $65 million historical racing venue, Derby City Gaming. It pulled back Kentucky customers and cut. There are a lot of firsts happening at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino this summer. For the first and possibly only time the Indiana Derby is a points qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby. Plan ahead and enjoy the Kentucky Derby from one of our socially distanced luxury recliners! #INthistogether #KyDerby #Sportsbook #WinnersCircle. Indiana Grand Racing & Casino (formerly Indiana Live!) is a racino (horse racing track and casino) in Shelbyville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The racetrack was previously known as Indiana Downs and offers live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing from April through October.

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino received approval for 2021 racing dates Thursday at the monthly Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC) meeting. The schedule will offer 120 days of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing beginning Tuesday, Apr. 13 and running through Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.

Racing will start off with a hybrid schedule of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday racing in April moving to the full schedule of Monday through Thursday in May. First post will be 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Thursdays first post will be 3:25 p.m.

A total of eight Saturdays will also be included on the schedule with Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing held Saturday, May 1, which is GI Kentucky Derby day, and Saturday, Oct. 30, which will be Indiana Champions Day. Post time will be noon on those days.

Six All-Quarter Horse days have been allotted throughout the meet. Dates set exclusively for the sprinters include June 5, July 3, July 24, Aug. 14, Sept. 4 and Oct. 9. Post times for the all-Quarter Horse dates is set for 10 a.m.

The Indiana Derby will be historic in two ways.

Because of the revised thoroughbred schedule, Wednesday’s race at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino will earn qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby (Sept 5.). Moreover, the Indiana Derby will be the state’s first consequential sports event of the pandemic to be held with fans in attendance.

Estimated post time for the 26th running of the $300,000 Indiana Derby is 7:45 p.m. The race for 3-year-olds will be televised by WNDY-23, with coverage beginning at 7:30.

First of 12 races on the program is at 2:20 p.m. The $200,000 Indiana Oaks will precede the Indiana Derby in race 11 at about 7:10.

Seating capacity is reduced, and fans are encouraged to wear face masks in all locations. Face masks are required indoors except for those consuming food or beverages. Pari-mutuel teller windows and self-service betting machines will be arranged for social distancing, as will outdoor viewing areas.

Indiana Derby winner will receive 20 points toward qualification to the Kentucky Derby, followed by eight for second, four for third and two for fourth. Also, for the first time, the race moves to 1 1/8 miles from 1 1/16.

Winning Impression is a slight favorite at 3-1. In its most recent start, the gelding finished fourth at 20-1 odds in the May 2 Arkansas Derby. Of the three horses that beat Winning Impression, two are sidelined and the other is running elsewhere.

The horse, which represents West Point Thoroughbreds, drew post 9 out of 10. Winning Impression has thrived at longer distances. The horse resembles Commanding Curve, which finished second to California Chrome in the 2014 Kentucky Derby at 37-1.

“It’s a good race, it’s a legitimate race,” West Point Thoroughbreds president Terry Finley said in a news release. “There are no superstars in there. But the horses who figure to run well in here are very, very similar to what we are at this point in their careers. If we run well, we’ll have a little stronger circle around the first Saturday in September.”

Julien Leparoux will be Winning Impression’s jockey, as he was for the Arkansas Derby. Leparoux, riding Tempers Rising, will seek a record fifth victory in the Indiana Oaks. He also will try to be the first jockey to win a Derby/Oaks double twice.

Close behind Winning Impression in the betting line is Major Fed at 7-2 and Shared Sense at 4-1. Major Fed, the son of 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, is named for 20-time Grand Slam singles winner Roger Federer.

Because of recent COVID-19 positive tests at Lone Star Park near Dallas and suspension of that racing season, Indiana Grand has banned transfer of jockeys, exercise riders and grooms from that facility.

Kentucky Derby At Indiana Grand Casino Players Club

INDIANA DEBRY ODDS

Complete field, by post position with odds:

1, No Getting Over Me, 12-1

2, Extraordinary, 10-1

3, Taishan, 6-1

4, Earner, 8-1

5, Shared Sense, 4-1

6, Background, 20-1

Kentucky Derby At Indiana Grand Casino Buffet

7, Juggernaut, 7-1

8, Major Fed, 7-2

9, Winning Impression, 3-1

10, Necker Island, 20-1

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Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Revised schedule means Indiana Derby is qualifier for Kentucky Derby