2019 Year in Review at Indiana Grand

SHELBYVILLE, Ind.; – Dec. 13, 2019 – Below is a list of the top five racing stories, quotes and a timeline prepared by the race marketing department at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. The 120-day racing season ran from Tuesday, April 16 through Wednesday, Nov. 6.

TOP FIVE STORIES

1. Indiana Derby eclipses $4 million historic handle mark

Mr. Money came into the 25th running of the Grade III $500,000-guaranteed Indiana Derby as the big favorite, and he didn’t disappoint, scoring the victory in near track record time for his fourth career win in his ninth career start. The race capped off a huge night of racing at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino with stakes race purses in excess of $1.1 million. As a result, a new handle record of $4,104,657 and a new attendance record of 14,803 was set for the first Indiana Derby under the ownership of Caesars Entertainment.

Mr. Money rewarded his backers with $3.80, $2.80, $2.40 across the board. It was the third straight win for the colt, all three of which are Graded Stakes wins. Bret Calhoun trains Mr. Money for owner Chester Thomas of Allied Racing Stable of Madisonville, Ky.

Eskenforit stumbled out of the gate and unseated jockey Julien Leparoux. The colt continued without a rider and joined the Derby field around the track during the one and one-sixteenth mile event. Eskenforit crossed the wire ahead of Mr. Money and was visible in all the finish photos.

2. Doyle makes history as first female jockey to win the Oaks

Sophie Doyle became the first female jockey to capture the 24th running of the Grade III $200,000 Indiana Oaks. Street Band drew off in the stretch to beat Sundaysatthebeach and Gabriel Saez by three and one-half lengths at Indiana Grand in a time of 1:43.01.

The Larry Jones-trained Street Band gave Doyle the biggest victory in her career earlier in the year with a win in the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks. Street Band and Doyle had a difficult trip in the Kentucky Oaks, placed sixth upon a disqualification prior to their win in the Indiana Oaks.

3. Sportsbook opens, table games approved at Indiana Grand

Winner’s Circle Race Sports Pub opened as the state’s first sports wagering facility Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. Governor Eric Holcomb placed the first official wager just after 12 p.m. leading into a ribbon cutting ceremony with state and local dignitaries for the historic event. The facility was then officially opened with a long line of patrons waiting patiently to make their first wagers.

Local dignitaries were in attendance led by Shelbyville Mayor Tom DeBaun, who spoke of the impact Indiana Grand has had on local tourism and development. Several state and local officials were present for the event, including Senator Jean Leising, Senator Jon Ford and State Representative Sean Eberhart. Also attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony as ESPN Radio’s Dan Dakich.

Also, the Indiana legislature approved the addition of table games to the casino beginning Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020. More than 40 tables and 300 seats will be offered. Seven different types of live table games will be on the menu, including craps, roulette, blaze roulette, blackjack, baccarat, three-card poker and Mississippi stud. Two areas will be utilized for the tables with approximately 200 seats provided in the main floor area found just off the parking garage. High Limit table games may be found in the former Poker Room represented by more than 100 gaming seats.

4. Ehrgott wins $35,000 Caesars Rewards Handicapping Challenge

Caesars Entertainment horse racing properties – Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, Harrah's Hoosier Park, Harrah's Philadelphia, and Harrah's Louisiana Downs – hosted the first ever $35,000 Caesars Rewards Handicapping Challenge sponsored by John Deere and Cowpokes Saturday, June 22. Dean Ehrgott of Camby, Ind., who participated at Indiana Grand, was the top player, winning the $20,000 first prize by a margin of 40 cents over second place finisher Paul Napoli, who participated at Harrah’s Philadelphia and earned $10,000 in the contest.

Ehrgott, a former Standardbred owner in the state of Indiana, was visible in the top 10 standings throughout the contest and was able to complete the challenge with a bankroll of $129.00 and take home the top prize. Napoli had an accumulated total of $128.60 in second place while Frederick Nielsen, also of Harrah’s Philadelphia, finished third with a balance of $127.00 to earn the $1,500 third place prize. Erghott’s second entry finished fourth with a $107.80 tally. Places four through 10 received $500 each.

5. HH CJ Shake scores win in Miss Roxie Little Futurity

He was the quickest in the trials and HH CJ Shake proved to be the quickest in the final of the $182,400 Miss Roxie Futurity at Indiana Grand Saturday, Oct. 26. The 11th running of the stakes race capped off the richest evening of racing for Quarter Horses in the state of Indiana with purses in excess of $600,000.

Starting from post three, HH CJ Shake surged out of the gate for jockey Juan Marquez and got right into the lead position of the 10-horse field. The Escondido Beach gelding led the entire way and coming up to the wire, had an advantage by open lengths. His only pressure came from a fast-moving Beach Benny and L.D. Martinez on the outside, but HH CJ Shake was well in hand to earn his fourth consecutive win in a time of :17.873 through a steady head wind with gusts up to 21 miles per hour. Beach Benny finished second over Jess A Flyin Beach and German Rodriguez for third.

HH CJ Shake completed his freshman campaign with five wins in seven starts and earnings in excess of $185,000. He is owned by Larry Carter, John Myers, Gary Brandon Bell and Rusty Hawkins and trained by Paul Martin. Carter and Myers bred the gelding.

MEMORABLE QUOTES

Indiana State Representative Sean Eberhart on the opening of the state’s first sportsbook at Indiana Grand: “Sports wagering coupled with live table games coming online New Year’s Day will really set this facility apart. In discussions with Caesars Entertainment this facility will be the second largest property in their portfolio behind only Caesars Palace in Vegas, and that is pretty exciting. It’s very cool to have that right here in our backyard.”

Quarter Horse Trainer Paul Martin on his win in the Miss Roxie Little Futurity with HH CJ Shake: “To win three in a row is great but to win four in a row is really something to dream about. It is extremely satisfying to see him win in a race like that. There were a lot of really talented horses in that group.”

Handicapper Omar Fannin on winning the $2,900 Road to the Derby Final: “I do a lot of studying. The biggest thing in a contest like this is to watch who is around me (in the standings.) I do my true handicapping when I’m ahead but if I’m behind, then you have to take some chances on longshots.”

Sophie Doyle on becoming the first female jockey to win the Grade III $200,000 Indiana Oaks: “I’m just delighted. It’s amazing how many years they’ve been racing here and finally it’s the first time it’s been done. So, I’ve made a little title of my own, being the first woman jockey here at Indiana to win the Oaks. To be able to come back to a local track and so many local fans here watching, it was a nice homecoming. I like to keep myself humble. You always need to stay humble in this game.”

Jockey Marcelino Pedroza Jr. on donating toys to the local children’s event “Breakfast with Santa”: “As a kid, I always wanted to have a lot of toys and sometimes I didn’t, so it’s very important to me to help make sure kids have toys for Christmas. My wish is for everyone to have a good Christmas and God has blessed me so I like to help out any way I can.”

Vice President and General Manager of Racing Jon Schuster on the Caesars Rewards Handicapping Challenge: “We were glad to see so many players come in from other states to play in this contest at our facility. It was great exposure for our racing program and hats off to so many people from all of our racing properties that spent endless hours making this contest work. And, to have the winner right here at our track, that was an added bonus.”

Track Superintendent Roy Smith on finalizing the new racing surface for 2019: “In a project like this, everything is weather related. The stage we are at now with the renovation in early February, the cold weather actually helps us. We will lay the new cushion down the last of February or the first of March when we get a window of decent weather.”

Quarter Horse Jockey L.D. Martinez on losing a shoe that went flying into the winner’s circle during the Born Runner Classic: “I knew more than one shoe came off during the race. I also knew those horses were coming up on him at the finish, but he kept going.”

Jockey Ezequiel Lara, on securing his first Graded Stakes mount in the Indiana Derby: “I couldn’t believe it. When he (Jock’s Agent Francisco Torres) called and told me I was riding in the Indiana Derby, I was so surprised. I’m still surprised. He didn’t tell me about it until the entry was made, so I didn’t know about it until the Wednesday before the race. This is the biggest race I’ve ever been in.”

Owner Phil Gilson on the retirement of standout mare Marina’s Legacy following her win in the Frances Slocum Stakes: “We hope to be back here in four years with her babies. Great finish, great career, special horse.”

Quarter Horse Owner-Trainer Randy Thompson on his win with Abe, who was born on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, in the $116,800 Sterlie Bertram Final: “I wouldn’t be able to do this without good help. I owe a lot of my success to good help in the barn.”

Clerk of Scales Steve Cahill on having his head shaved during Pink Out Night to raise funds for I.W.I.N. (Indiana Women in Need): “These guys are all having some fun at this, but in the end, it’s all about raising money for cancer. We are a big family here and two of our valets, Terry Warner and Frank Koehler, have been fighting cancer all year. Every one of these guys has been affected in some way by the disease and they all have big hearts. Even though they had a little incentive to donate to shave my head, they all wanted to help the cause, and they had a little fun doing it.”

Horseplayer Michael Hurst on winning the $2,000 top prize in Racing Rachel’s Warriors contest: “I got a little worried because I had a goose egg in the sixth race. I was excited to hear I was the winner. I appreciate this and have a lot of friends here at Indiana Grand. This is a good way to wrap up the season.”

Vice President and General Manager Jon Schuster on hosting the Empire of Hope for racehorse aftercare: “We are excited to offer a night where we can place the spotlight on racehorse aftercare programs. Organizations such as Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Friends of Ferdinand and New Vocations are crucial to our business and its very rewarding to see our equine athletes go on and find success in different types of careers after their racing days have completed. We hope to provide a great backdrop with our ‘Empire of Hope’ event to support such a worthy cause in both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Indiana Grand.”

2019 RACING TIMELINE

01/17 Dominyun Cartel, an Indiana bred son of Dominyun, was a finalist for Two-Year-Old of the Year at the annual AQHA Racing Champions Ceremony at Heritage Place.

02/07 Stephanie Davis, Steve Arrison, Dan Wiesenberger and Mike Gillum advanced from the local National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Qualifier to compete for more than $2.5 million in prize money in the 20th NTRA NHC Final in Las Vegas.

03/07 The 2019 Thoroughbred Stakes schedule was released, announcing 35 stakes with total purse money of $4.3 million topped off with the $500,000 Indiana Derby July 13.

03/12 A total of 19 stakes will be featured in 2019 for Quarter Horse racing with purses totaling more than $1.5 million.

03/26 The Track Maintenance department began laying down the new surface on the track. The oval underwent a near $700,000 complete renovation over the winter.

04/12 Horsemen and horsewomen gather for a Prayer Walk around the racetrack with Chaplain Otto Thorwarth.

04/13 Omar Fannin Jr. was the top handicapper in the 2019 Road to the Derby contest, winning $1,000.

04/14 The Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (ITOBA) held their annual awards banquet to honor top performers of 2018. Bucchero was named 2018 Champion Horse of the Year.

04/17 Indiana Grand opens its 17th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing and 2018 Leading Jockey Rodney Prescott won the first two races on the program.

04/18 The annual Welcome Back BBQ was held in the Backstretch Café with more than 250 in attendance.

05/07 Indiana HBPA opened a Community Garden for members on the backstretch at Indiana Grand. The garden is located across from the Racing Administration building and includes 20 plots.

05/11 Slap Happy with DeShawn Parker aboard won the first turf race of 2019.

05/17 Indiana Grand participated in the Shelbyville High School 1-2-3 Go Wellness event, featuring a live horse on display for kids to interact with.

05/25 Indiana Grand team members, horsemen and horsewomen and racing fans held a moment of silence in the winner’s circle for trainer Julee Rodriguez, who passed away unexpectedly. More than 20 balloons were released following the ceremony from the winner’s circle.

05/28 Indiana Grand team members, jockeys and fans gathered in the winner’s circle for a moment of silence for jockey Euclyn “Pede” Prentice, who passed away in an auto accident.

05/31 Tony Fannin and Bob Beyers tied atop the standings to earn the grand prize in Battle for the Saddle, a new on-track contest implemented in 2019.

06/01 Indiana Grand hosted its first of six all-Quarter Horse racing nights for 2019. Martha Claussen, nationally known racing analyst, was in attendance plus QHRAI offered $2 race wagers to the first 100 fans.

06/11 Indiana Grand offered a $50,000 Guaranteed Pick 5 with the total pool set at $80,753.

06/12 Indiana’s culinary team donated 12 cakes for Shelby Senior Services fundraiser Strawberry Festival in downtown Shelbyville.

06/14 Indiana HBPA hosted its first movie night featuring the faith-based film “Courageous” with approximately 70 people in attendance.

06/18 Jeff Saturday, former Indianapolis Colt and Super Bowl Champion, was named the honorary chairperson for the 25th running of the Grade III Indiana Derby.

06/22 Dean Ehrgott of Camby, Ind. was the grand prize winner in the first $35,000 Caesars Rewards Handicapping Challenge. Ehrgott bested a total of 145 players from four Caesars racetracks to win the top prize of $20,000 and a seat in the NHC Final in Vegas. Ehrgott is also eligible for a $1 million bonus if he wins the NHC Final. The contest included 20 races, five from each track, with players required to play at least one race from each track and 12 races total.

06/24 Indiana Grand teamed up with Harrah’s Louisiana Downs to offer the Super Tuesday Pick 4.

06/29 Team USA won their fourth straight title in the World Jockey Challenge. The evening also included the annual QHRAI Youth Racing Experience. Natalie Dayharsh of Danville, Ind. was the winner of the $2,000 scholarship and advanced to the AQHYA National Youth Racing Championship Experience at Albuquerque in New Mexico.

07/02 The paddock was redesigned with grassy berms placed in the center of the walking ring area.

07/03 Indiana Grand provided a special Independence Day celebration featuring live entertainment and kids’ activities leading up to a 25-minute fireworks show. The property plus the areas surrounding Indiana Grand was packed with spectators with an estimated crowd count of more than 15,000.

07/06 Going to Hollywood and Shanley Jackson established a new track record for 870 yards in :46.356. It was the first time in over eight years the distance was run at Indiana Grand.

07/13 Mr. Money and Gabriel Saez avoided a loose horse to win the 25th running of the Grade III $500,000-guaranteed Indiana Derby. Street Band and Sophie Doyle were victorious in the Grade III $200,000-guaranteed Indiana Oaks and Doyle made history by becoming the first female jockey to win the stakes race. A total of $4,104,657 was wagered to set a new record along with a new racing attendance record of 14,803.

07/20 Indiana Grand participated in the Caesars racing program “Empire of Hope” to raise funding and awareness for racehorse aftercare programs. More than $46,000 was raised for Standardbred, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse aftercare with Indiana Grand contributing approximately $9,500 of the final tally. In addition, Indiana HBPA made two $20,000 donations to New Vocations Racehorse Adoption and Friends of Ferdinand. Also, a new record for the Grand High Five payout was recorded at $251,417.

07/29 Local jockeys participated in the annual PDJF Racing Across America to raise funding and awareness for PDJF (Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund). More than $1,100 was collected for the cause and Indiana HBPA made an additional $5,000 donation to PDJF.

08/06 A time capsule containing items from the City of Shelbyville, Shelby County Tourism and Visitor’s Bureau, the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Indiana Grand was compiled to commemorate the 25th running of the Indiana Derby. The capsule was buried on the south end of the tote board and will be unveiled in 2044 to mark the 50th running of the stakes race.

08/13 A new record for an exacta payout was recorded at $4,419.80.

08/17 April Scanio of Brooklyn, NY was the winner of the NHC Qualifier. She advanced to the NHC Final in Vegas in February 2020 along with second and third place finishers Daven Turner of Ohio and Tony Fannin of Indianapolis.

08/30 Kent Benson, former IU and NBA basketball star, provided a guest speaker appearance in the Backstretch Café to a full room of approximately 50 people. Benson’s motivational talk was part of the Indiana HBPA’s Fellowship Night for the chaplain’s program.

09/01 Indiana Grand made history by opening the first sportsbook in the state. Governor Eric Holcomb made the first wager shortly after Noon followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony with the venue opening to the public just before 1 p.m.

09/04 After a disqualification near the finish line, Corruze and Corey Lanerie were placed up for the win in the $200,000-guaranteed Caesars Stakes, Indiana’s richest turf race.

09/05 Marcelino Pedroza Jr. scored six wins on the afternoon racing program to tie the previous record for most wins on one racing program set by Rodney Prescott in 2012.

09/07 Brian Elmore, Indiana HBPA executive director, was named to the Jockeys & Jeans board, which raises funding and awareness annually for the Permanently Disabled Jockey’s Fund.

09/13 Bernie Flint scored his 3,500th career win in the eighth race of the day with Code of War, ridden by Malcolm Franklin.

09/14 Quarter Horse Trainer Oscar P. Garcia won his first career race with Shes A Real Patriot.

09/15 The 2019 QHRAI Speed Sale was held at the Marion County Fairgrounds with Streakin James the sale topper at $37,000.

09/23 Dealer School for the launch of table games at Indiana Grand Jan. 1, 2020 began on the third floor of the grandstand. More than 1,000 applications were reviewed with more than 300 jobs being added associated with table games.

09/26 Indiana Grand jockeys made the annual trip to Riley Hospital for Children and visited more than 20 kids in the cancer care unit as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

10/04 A new mutuel record for a Daily Double payout was recorded at $7,260.

10/12 Local jockeys raised $3,100 for I.W.I.N. (Indiana Women in Need) during the annual Pink Out Night event, that included a walk into the barn area and other fundraising initiatives. In return for the donation, the jockeys shaved the head of Clerk of Scales Steve Cahill. An additional $4,600 was raised for the organization, which assists cancer patients in the Central Indiana area.

10/19 Jockey Marcelino Pedroza Jr. established a new track record for most purse earnings in one season by a jockey, eclipsing the old mark of $3.145 million set by Fernando De La Cruz in 2016.

10/22 Marcelino Pedroza Jr. earned his 1,000th career win aboard Emmy’s Candy. The filly, trained by Gary Patrick, was also the horse that Jockey Perry Ouzts scored his 7,000th career win on the prior year.

10/23 The Equine Maintenance Team at Indiana Grand installed a two-story dog condo at the new Dog Park in Blue River Memorial Park. The project was part of the HERO program with the team of Mike White, Dean Gabbard, Justin Gabbard and Terril Gabbard designing, building and installing the structure.

10/26 Indiana Grand hosted the final night of all-Quarter Horse racing with HH CJ Shake taking the $182,400 Miss Roxie Futurity. The evening offered more than $600,000 in purses to mark the richest night ever for Quarter Horse racing in the state of Indiana.

10/28 Paloma’s Pass was the sale topper at $26,000 for the annual ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale.

10/30 Michael Hurst of Indianapolis was the grand prize winner in the $2,900 final of Racing Rachel’s Warriors. Also, Quarter Horse Come on Festus won the first 110-yard dash held at the track in more than 10 years with a new track record time of :06.928 seconds with Berkley Packer aboard the Randy Smith-trained three-year-old gelding.

10/31 Several hundred students from the National FFA Convention were part of the Career Success Tours at Indiana Grand featuring the barn area, jockey’s quarters and grandstand.

11/02 A total of 54 toys were collected by the jockeys as a donation to “Breakfast with Santa” through Shelby Parks and Recreation. The event is for local kids and is held in December. The Breeders Cup was also featured during the day with 10 horses competing in the prestigious event as former starters at Indiana Grand.

11/04 Indiana Grand hosted the fifth Indiana Horse Racing Association (IHRA) Hall of Fame banquet. Rod Ratcliff, racetrack and casino developer, and Jim Elliott, Thoroughbred owner and breeder, were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

11/06 Indiana Grand completed its 17th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. Marcelino Pedroza Jr. was the leading jockey with Genaro Garcia winning leading trainer. Garcia teamed up with Bruce Murphy for leading owner honors and Kendall Sterritt and Joe Ramos tied as the meet’s top apprentice jockeys. Will Knows was named the top Thoroughbred horse of the meet. Randy Smith earned his fifth straight leading Quarter Horse training title with Berkley Packer earning Leading Quarter Horse jockey honors. Tony Cunningham repeated as the Leading Quarter Horse Owner while Beach Treat equaled the record for most wins in one season by a horse with six wins during the meet.

11/20 Construction began on an expansion and renovation of the stable gate at the entrance to the barn area.

12/02 The documentary Horsepower: Indiana’s Equine Industry debuted on public access television featuring both Harrah’s Hoosier Park and Indiana Grand.

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