Derby Express, who was the best Indiana-bred 2-year-old male in 2015, and Easy Victory, who probably was among the leading Indiana-bred 2-year-old fillies last season, make their 3-year-old debuts in a pair of $100,000 Indiana-bred and -sired, six-furlong stakes Wednesday at Indiana Grand. Handicappers, though, would do well to wonder if either horse is ready for anything close to a peak performance. Both show only three published workouts, and Easy Victory meets a filly, Carmalley Chrome, who might be her equal on talent and has a decided recency edge. Derby Express, bred by Sheri Greenhill, trained by Jeff Greenhill, and out of the Greenhills’ remarkably productive broodmare Pay the Toll, is one of 10 entrants in the Sagamore Sired, race 6 on Wednesday’s card. He’s the even-money favorite on the track’s morning line because Derby Express so dominated statebred-restricted competition last year, winning his three such starts, including two stakes, by a combined 17 lengths. Jeff Greenhill gave Derby Express a shot in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last November, but Derby Express cracked a shin during the race and spent the next three months resting and recovering. The injury is fully healed, and Greenhill said he sees a bigger, stronger horse than the one who raced with such success last year at Indiana Grand. “If physical appearance is any indication, he should only get better with age,” Greenhill said. “He’s galloping strong, and that last breeze was by design. He’s training well, and I hope he’s ready.” Big Silver Hoss, Strong Composition, and Justice for Themob are the most appealing alternatives, but the guess is that Derby Express will come back a winner. Easy Victory, meanwhile, won all three of her starts last year at 2, but her margin of victory dwindled in her first try around two turns. There’s no doubt that she gets the six furlongs of the Swiftly Sired on Wednesday, but the arc of her 2-year-old form does hint that Easy Victory’s success might have correlated strongly to precocity. Then there’s the matter of her preparation for her 2016 debut, which has not been perfect. “Ideally, I’d have liked to have another two weeks, but that’s not the case,” said trainer Tom Amoss. “We’ve lost some time due to weather with all the rain we’ve had in Kentucky. Nonetheless, we like our chances.” Carmalley Chrome never made the races at 2, but she has caught the eye this spring with a pair of blowout victories over the local strip. Trained by Mike Nance, Carmalley Chrome debuted April 27 with a 16-length win in a six-furlong Indiana-bred maiden race and was nearly as dominant when stretched out to two turns against other winners in a May 11 allowance race. She should have little trouble cutting back to a sprint again Wednesday, and Easy Victory will have to come back running to handle this sharp filly. The Swiftly Sired goes as race 5 on an appealing 10-race card that starts at 2:05 p.m. Eastern. :: Bet Indiana Grand with DRF Bets. Get a $200 cash bonus, including $50 free just for making a deposit! Find out more today.