Indiana Grand Wednesday: Indiana Oaks and Derby Picks

Midweek can often be a down time for horseplayers with weekend action at the A tracks running over the weekend. However, Wednesday, July 7 will feature a dynamite race card from Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, IN. The racing concludes with the Indiana Oaks and Derby.

Indiana Grand Oaks and Derby Race Card

First post for the 12 race card is at 2:25 pm ET. The day features 7 dirt races and 5 races over the Indiana Grand turf course.

Rain is in the forecast on Wednesday, which could potentially cause changes to the track condition or possibly move some of the turf races off the grass.

Stakes action begins at 5:30 pm ET with the Michael G. Schaefer Memorial. Races 7-12 are all stakes races.

The penultimate race is the Indiana Oaks for 3 year old females and the night cap is the marquee event with 7 entrants set to square off in the Indiana Derby. The Oaks and Derby are set to go off at 7:43 pm ET and 8:25 pm ET respectively.

Watch and Wager on Indiana Grand

There is no television coverage of the events from Indiana Grand. However, the track feed of the races is available on all American online wagering platforms. These include TVG, NYRAbets, DRFBets, and Twinspires.

Players who do not currently have an account with one of the platforms above can often take advantage of the many sign up promotions offered by each.

The Oaks

The Indiana Oaks is the premier dirt event run for females at Indiana Grand all season. The prestige is evident from the field that was drawn into this event. The race will be run at 8 1/2 furlongs on the dirt track.

The field has a number of familiar names from those who followed the Kentucky Oaks trail earlier this spring.

Topping the market in this contest is Will’s Secret who last finished 3rd in the Kentucky Oaks. Directly to her outside is the second choice in Soothsay who ships in from California. Lovely Ride rounds out the top 3 in the odds fro Bret Calhoun.

With the top 3 being separated by only 1 point in the odds the contest seems like a pretty competitive affair.

The Derby

The featured event on the Indiana Grand card is the Indiana Derby. The event drew a field of 7 and Fulsome was installed as the heavy morning line favorite for Brad Cox and Florent Geroux.

Mr. Wireless is second on the morning line at 5-2. Starringinmydreams is third in the market for Dallas Steward at 6-1 with Luis Saez aboard.

While horse racing can be unpredictable, Fulsome looks extremely tough to beat in this spot.

Analysis of the Indiana Grand Card

Most Wide Open Race

Race 3 from Indiana Grand is a real head scratcher. The event is slated for 6 furlongs on the main track for Indiana bred fillies and mares. The race is an allowance for horses which have not won 2 races in their lifetime.

The #5 was installed as the morning line favorite, but still has a lot of question marks. The horse has never won against older and her only victory came in her debut which was September of last year.

She definitely could win and is one of the major players, but players will need to ask themselves if she is worth the risk at close to even money.

Best Bet of the Day

The 6th race from Indiana Grand is a turf race to be run at 8.5 furlongs. The optional claiming event has some unusual conditions. In this race horses who have met the conditions are protected and cannot be claimed by other trainers. However, horses that do not meet the race conditions are allowed to run, but must be offered for sale.

In these events I often start with the horses who have exceeded the race conditions. The #2 Imperial Mission (8-5) for Mike Maker and Umberto Rispoli fits the bill.

Imperial Mission is a closer who has struggled of late, but comes from the Gulfstream turf which is far kinder to front speed than most turf courses around the country. Given a more true course, things could set up perfectly for him to get back on track.

Live Long Shots

• Race 1: #6 Mike is Ready (8-1) runs in the opener which is a race for the lowest level of winners a horse can race at. These races can be unpredictable. He is 1 for 2 at Indiana Grand and seems to run better when the track if not fast. If it rains before the first he could be a huge overlay at 8-1.
• Race 8: #6 Alfons Walde (15-1) was 2 for 2 before taking a 6 month layoff. While I typically stay away from horses off of so much rest the trainer is 16% at bringing back winners after a long hiatus. While the horse may have trouble finding the winner’s circle, the horse has finished in the money in 7 of his 11 starts and is a definite use in all vertical exotics.
• Race 10: #10 Sister Hanan (12-1) finished 3.5 lengths behind Dominga last out. The connections bring in Luis Saez who may look to get a bit more early speed into this runner and make her more likely to get up at least for a piece.
• Race #11: #7 Li’l Tootsie (12-1) gets Graham back in the saddle. With him she is 3 for 3. Without him she is 0 for 3 with 1 second. Tom Amoss likes to spot horses appropriately and this one could be ready to spring the upset in Indiana.

Indiana Grand Full Card Selections

The following selections for the Wednesday card were made under the assumption that the track conditions will be fast and firm. If conditions change, players should adjust accordingly

• An * has been used to indicate the best bet of the day
• Horse numbers followed by (LS) indicate the horse is a live long shot.

Expert Selections

Horses are listed in order of preference.

1. 3-2-6 (LS)-1-4
2. 7-1-4-3
3. 5-1-2-4-3
4. 4-3-5-6
5. 7-4-5-6-3
6. 2*-6-5-4-3
7. 5-6-1-9
8. 9-10-4-6 (LS)
9. 6-1-7-2
10. 11-6-10 (LS)-3-13
11. 1-7 (LS)-2-5-4
12. 1-7-3-5

Wager with the Picks

Show Parlay

If you are a conservative player who likes to play single horse bets such as win place and show, it is recommended that you play the top selection in each race. If the top selection drops below even money you may want to consider using the 2nd selection as your pick to maximize profit.

In the show parlay a player starts with a single bet and will continually reinvest the winnings into the next bet. Continue doing this until you lose or you are satisfied with the return.

The advantage to this strategy is that you never lose more than your initial bet. The challenge is that if you are wrong even once, your profit for the day is wiped out.

Exacta Strategy

If you prefer the vertical exotics it is recommended that you use the top pick in exacta boxes with each of the other selections.

For example in race 1 a player would have exacta boxes on 1-3, 2-3, 4-3, and 6-3. At a $1 base bet this wager would cost $8.

Players looking to maximize profit may want to wager more on certain combinations or eliminate combinations paying less than $10 for a $1 return. The advantage of exactas is that players can see what they are likely to pay before they bet them.

Horizontal Wagers

Indiana Grand is offering its most lucrative horizontal days of the year with several additional picks bets as compared to a normal card.

For players looking to play the pick 3’s, 4’s, and 5’s, here are the selections to focus your wagers on in each of the races. Choosing a couple legs in the sequence to narrow down will keep cost down and make the bets more manageable on a modest bankroll.

Horses are not listed in order of preference.

1. All Selections
2. 1,4,7
3. All Selections
4. 3,4
5. All Selections
6. 2,6
7. All Selections
8. 9,10
9. All Selections
10. 6,10,11
11. All Selections
12. 1,3,7

Good luck in all your wagering endeavors from Indiana Grand and across the country this week. Check back later this week for coverage of the Saturday card from Belmont Park.