Shelby County, Harrison top Wednesday card at Horseshoe Indianapolis
Horseshoe Indianapolis features two heavily restricted $100,000 stakes races on its Wednesday program, but more important than that is track management’s confidence in the main track.
Horseshoe Indianapolis canceled racing last Thursday following the third race after jockeys expressed safety concerns. The track was rated fast, but vice president and general manager of racing Eric Halstrom said he had “no concerns” about the racing surface. Halstrom said unexpected rain Thursday morning “left the surface wet and more uneven than the jockeys felt was safe. We didn’t have time to do the work that was needed to correct, so it was an easy decision to be cautious and cancel.”
The surface was regraded Friday night, and an all-Quarter Horse card Saturday went forward as planned.
The Shelby County and the William Henry Harrison, both six-furlong dirt races, headline a nine-race Wednesday card. Both races are for Indiana-bred and Indiana-sired horses, the Shelby County restricted to fillies and mares.
Hungarian Princess, who makes her first start since being transferred into the barn of leading trainer Marvin Johnson, is the pick in the Shelby County. She makes her first start since October but shows a string of fast works for her comeback, is proven at the class level, and is well drawn on the outside.
Nine-year-old Double Tuff makes his fifth appearance in the Harrison, which he won in 2019 and 2020. Double Tuff finished third over a sloppy track in the 2021 renewal and was second in the 2017 and 2018 Harrison. Even at his advanced age, Double Tuff is the most likely winner in a 10-runner field. Double Tuff is no grass horse and a five-furlong turf dash May 17, his first race since July, was merely a stepping-stone toward another try in the Harrison.
First post for this card is 2:25 p.m. Eastern, and you can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.