Horseshoe Indianapolis hosts its marquee raceday of the year this Saturday led by the 32nd running of the Grade 3 Indiana Derby, one of eight stakes races with six-figure purses on the 13-race card.
Last weekend, there were several stakes-rich racecards across North America, most prominently at Churchill Downs on June 27. Results from those six stakes under the Twin Spires brought significant changes to earnings leaderboards in several divisions, as tabulated by Equibase.
It may be the Belmont Derby. But names can be confusing these days. With Belmont Park set to re-open on Sept. 18, there are still a few mainstays from the Elmont, N.Y., racetrack taking up residence at a different locale. So, the Belmont Derby will be part of Saturday’s July 4 card at Saratoga Race Course.
The primary focus of this series typically is: can this racehorse win at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships? With Stephen Foster Stakes winner Magnitude, that question, in my opinion has been answered emphatically “yes” in his two most recent starts.
Western Kentucky’s Ellis Park, located in Henderson, has had a resurgence in recent years. The small, rustic track located on the north banks of the Ohio River (on the Indiana side, yet still in Kentucky) has seen field size and purse levels rise after the introduction of historical horse racing machines to the facility as a new, year-round source of gaming revenue in 2012.