Entries overflowing for Indiana Grand opener

For several weeks this spring, Indiana Grand Racecourse and Casino had to turn horsemen away from a nearly empty stabling area because of COVID-19 restrictions. Later, they had to turn them away because there was no room at the inn.

There were 135 horses entered on the 11-race Monday card at Indiana Grand, the first of 94 this season, and officials at the Indianapolis-area venue don’t expect that number to be entirely aberrant.

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“We have stall space for about 1,050, and we could probably have had 1,800 horses here,” said Eric Halstrom, who’s in his first season as vice president and general manager of racing.

Indiana Grand, owned by Caesars Entertainment, opened a sports book with table gaming last fall, and while revenue from the sports book doesn’t go to racing, the book helped draw patrons to the table games, which do contribute to purses. Halstrom said before the coronavirus pandemic he envisioned several purse increases this season, which was supposed to start April 14. Coronavirus ended that hope, but even after the casino – the racetrack’s primary source of purses – was forced to close, the purse account remained healthy enough that daily outlays will top $200,000, about the same level as during 2019.

Halstrom said the purse structure and the promise of an extended season – now scheduled to end Nov. 18 – helped draw strong interest from Midwest horsemen.

The casino reopens Monday with 50 percent of full patron capacity permitted. Only essential personnel are permitted at the racetrack to start the meet; Halstrom said he hoped at least limited attendance would be allowed starting July 4.

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Indiana Grand runs a mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, and Quarter Horse purses got a considerable boost from the table game revenue. Despite the recent shutdown, those purses, Halstrom said, are higher than during 2019. The other major table-game beneficiary are races restricted not just to Indiana-breds but to horses sired by Indiana-based stallions; there are several such contests carded Monday and Tuesday.

Racing will be conducted Monday through Thursday, post time 2:20, with four Quarter Horse-only cards scheduled for July 4, Aug. 8, Oct. 3, and Oct. 24. Some stakes races took a purse cut and others scheduled for the portion of the meet already lost are canceled, but while the Indiana Derby offers a $300,000 purse compared to $500,000 in recent years, it’s now part of Churchill Downs’s Road to the Kentucky Derby series and offers Derby qualifying points. The Indiana Derby card is Wednesday, July 8, and includes the $200,000 Indiana Oaks, part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

The track has introduced a 50-cent non-jackpot late pick five (spanning the last five Thoroughbred races on a card) with a low 11.99 percent takeout.

Genaro Garcia won the training title during the 2019 meet and along with all the leading barns from last year is back for the 2020 season. Steve Assmussen has stalls at Indiana Grand after shipping to race last year.