Indiana Derby has some Cajun flavor
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Some used to refer to Horseshoe Indianapolis as Arlington Park East because so many people, both horsemen and front-side folks, migrated there after Arlington Park closed. With regard to the Indiana Derby on Saturday, one might call the track Louisiana North.
Nine were entered in the Grade 3, $300,000 Indiana Derby, and two of the leading hopes – Creole Chrome and Our Moneyman -- last met this past December at Fair Grounds in the Louisiana Juvenile, a race restricted to Louisiana-breds.
Our Moneyman won that contest and has since attained a higher performance level, and his most recent showing, a solid second behind Blue Grass Stakes-winner Further Ado in the Matt Winn at Churchill, is as good a performance as anyone in this field has put forth.
Creole Chrome actually ran in the Grade 1 Blue Grass, checking in a distant fourth, and was sixth in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile before walloping Louisiana-breds June 6 at Evangeline Downs.
Both horses make the short ship from Churchill Downs and might not have to face Churchill-based Desert Gate, who could be favored were he to show up in Indiana. But Desert Gate is cross-entered in the Iowa Derby, and while Horseshoe Indianapolis racing officials had heard nothing from trainer Bob Baffert regarding his plans, word from the Baffert Stable is that Desert Gate, as well as Mizumi, an entrant in the Indiana Oaks, were, as of Tuesday, more likely to travel west to Prairie Meadows than north to Horseshoe Indianapolis.
The other entrants in the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby, from the inside out, are Lighter, Mister T, and Zihnal, all longshots; Bricklin, a well-beaten fourth in the Arkansas Derby, his career peak; and, finally, Out of the Woods and Leading Change.
Out of the Woods on May 2 won a first-level Churchill dirt-route allowance in which Our Moneyman finished third, and came back to finish second, beaten four lengths by Big Cuddle, in the Delaware Derby.
Despite having raced just once, Leading Change will vie for favoritism. Irad Ortiz Jr. is in to ride for trainer Brad Cox and owner Wathnan Racing. Leading Change debuted June 7 at Churchill, went off at 6-5 in a seven-furlong maiden race, and cruised to a 6 1/2-length win under light handling. Purchased at auction for $800,000, Leading Change is by Gun Runner out of Starship Warpspeed, dam of Shedaresthedevil, trained by Cox to wins in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks and Indiana Oaks.
Ortiz and Cox have the heavy favorite for Grade 3, $200,000 Indiana Oaks in Prom Queen, who ran much better to finish fifth in the Kentucky Oaks than she did last month when fourth in the Grade 1 Acorn at Saratoga. Including Mizumi, the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Oaks drew just six entrants.
The Indiana Derby, post time set for 6:40 Eastern, immediately follows the Indiana Oaks and is the last of eight stakes on a card that starts at noon. The early forecast calls for a 50 percent chance of rain during the afternoon.
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