Indiana Grand Racing & Casino has announced its 2017 stakes schedule for Thoroughbred racing. A total of 35 stakes will be offered during the 120-day racing season that spans April 18 through Oct. 28, 2017.
Heading the list of Thoroughbred stakes is the 23rd running of the Grade III $500,000 Indiana Derby, slated for Saturday, July 15. Indiana’s richest horse race will be surrounded by five other stakes races on the card, including the Grade III $200,000 Indiana Oaks, providing purses for the evening card of more than $1.1 million.
The 12th running of the $200,000 Centaur Stakes, a Listed event, will highlight the turf stakes schedule once again in 2017. The race is set for Wednesday, Sept. 6 and will be accompanied by three other stakes races on the card, including the $200,000 Indiana Grand, also a Listed event. Nine of the 35 stakes races on the schedule have been written for turf racing.
“Offering a strong stakes schedule to complement our racing program is very important to us,” said Jon Schuster, vice president and general manager of racing. “We work very hard each year to ensure our stakes have the best possible fit on horsemen’s schedules as they begin mapping out a plan for their horses. It’s also very exciting to see the growth of our Indiana bred stakes, which were all boosted to $100,000 last season. The state’s Thoroughbred breeding industry is on a major growth spurt right now. Owners and breeders are investing and upgrading their brood mares and several new stallions have been added to the roster in 2017. It’s exhilarating to see so much enthusiasm and commitment to racing in the state of Indiana.”
Always committed to upgrades and improvements, Indiana Grand is in the process of adding a new track maintenance facility along the backstretch of the racetrack. Also, a new “safety rail” will be in place prior to the start of the 2017 racing season.
A full list of the 2017 stakes schedule can be found at www.indianagrand.com.
The 15th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing will begin Tuesday, April 18 and conclude Saturday, Oct. 28. Racing will be conducted Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 2:05 p.m. EST with Saturday racing beginning at 6:05 p.m. EST. Thursday racing will be held July 6 – Aug. 24 at 2:05 p.m. EST.