Latest news with #IndianaDerby
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fan Favorite Coal Battle Chasing 'Respect' In Indiana Derby
Fan Favorite Coal Battle Chasing 'Respect' In Indiana Derby originally appeared on Paulick Report. Nine 3-year-olds will enter the starting gate Saturday, July 5, for the 31st running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Ind. First post for the 13-race card is noon, with the Indiana Derby set as Race 12 with an estimated post time of 6:33 p.m. One horse that received a lot of attention during the Kentucky Derby is Coal Battle from the barn of 72-year-old trainer Lonnie Briley. The Coal Front colt was a winner in the G3 Rebel Stakes before finishing third in the G1 Arkansas Derby and heading on to the Kentucky Derby (where he finished 11th). He comes into the Indiana Derby off a third-place finish in the G3 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs. Bethany Taylor, assistant trainer to Lonnie Briley, trainer of Coal Battle said, 'Lonnie and the other owner (Rob Norman) made the decision to run him in the Indiana Derby. We needed a race between the Matt Winn and the Ellis Park Derby. He's doing great. He's very happy, bucking and playing. He's his normal self.' Advertisement Coal Battle was third by a total of 1 1/4 lengths in Churchill Downs' G3 Matt Winn behind Grade 1 winners East Avenue and Burnham Square in his last start. He's ready to go for a start in the Indiana Derby. 'It was super tough,' noted Taylor, who also serves as the colt's exercise rider. 'There wasn't quite enough pace in there for us, so he didn't show that closing kick he normally does. He's not always gotten a ton of respect in the races we've put him in. Maybe now he'll get a little more respect.' Trainer Brad Cox will attempt to win his third straight Indiana Derby title with Instant Replay, who has drawn post nine. The Maximum Security colt comes into the race off a win in the Texas Derby at Lone Star. Overall, the sophomore, owned by Mary and Gary West, has won four of eight starts in his career and is two for two at the Indiana Derby distance of one and one-sixteenth miles. 'It's a good spot for him,' noted Cox. 'Obviously, we don't have to ship quite as far. It's a solid race, but I think he fits with them. Hopefully he takes the next step. I think he ran a really good race in Texas and beat a decent group. I think the water is a little deeper here, that this is a little better group of horses.' On going for third straight win and fourth overall in the Indiana Derby, Cox noted: 'It's a race that has been good to us. We're hoping this horse can be right there and move forward to some bigger and better things down the road.' Joining Instant Replay as a contender for the Indiana Derby title is Publisher from the Steve Asmussen barn. The American Pharoah colt, who was a $600,000 purchase as a yearling, was on the Derby trail earlier this year, competing in the top three-year-old races en route to a start in the Kentucky Derby his last outing. He comes back to the track off a two-month layoff and will be ridden by Hall of Fame Jockey Mike Smith from post one. The field for the Grade 3, $300,000 Indiana Derby Publisher (Mike Smith); Master Controller (Chris Emigh); Coal Battle (Corey Lanerie); Shan (Evin Roman); Chunk of Gold (Jareth Loveberry); Tip Top Thomas (John Velazquez); Big Truzz (Declan Cannon); Brotha Keny (Joe Ramos); and Instant Replay (Luan Machado). Advertisement Both Evin Roman and Joseph Ramos, a two-time leading jockey at Horseshoe Indianapolis, are members of the local jockey colony at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Also on the Saturday card is the 30th running of the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks, presented by Daily Racing Form. The race features six three-year-old fillies. Deloraine, Graded Stakes placed entry for Godolphin and trainer Eoin Harty, will begin from post three with Mike Smith aboard. The Candy Ride filly finished third in both the Grade 3 Florida Oaks and Grade 3 Gazelle at Aqueduct, her last two races before the Indiana Oaks. The Indiana Oaks will be run at approximately 5:55 p.m. as Race 11 just before the Indiana Derby. A total of eight premier races will be featured on Indiana Derby Day. The afternoon program is complemented by numerous activities including a $3,000 Derby Megabet, $2,500 Derby Legends Handicapping Contest, courtesy of the Indiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, $1,000 Derby Hat Contest, courtesy of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, cigar rolling station, strolling entertainment, food trucks and more. Free parking and general admission are available for the Indiana Derby, which is open to guests of all ages on the racing side of the property. The 23rd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing runs through Thursday, Nov. 13. For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Red-Hot Joe Sharp Brings Three For Indiana Derby Undercard
Red-Hot Joe Sharp Brings Three For Indiana Derby Undercard originally appeared on Paulick Report. If Kentucky-based Joe Sharp didn't have the absolute hottest stable in the country for the first half of 2025, he's certainly on a very short list. Fresh off his first Churchill Downs training title — which came on the heels of his first Fair Grounds training title — Sharp will try to keep the momentum going when he runs three horses in undercard stakes on Saturday's Indiana Derby program at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Ind. Money Supply won last year's $100,000 Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial on turf, with Sharp cross-entering this year in the Schuster and the Michael G. Schaefer on dirt. Money Supply, a $400,000 yearling purchase, has won eight races for owner Jordan Wycoff since being claimed for $35,000 almost two years ago. Now 6, the horse has won on turf and dirt, both fast tracks in the slop. 'I lean toward trying to repeat in the grass race, unless on paper it looks like the dirt is a better choice,' Sharp said. 'But he's doing really well. We just need a little more racing luck. Because the horse is trying to fire big races, and he's just had some tough trips.' Advertisement Sharp brings back Highlander Training Center's $359,700-earner Strikingly Spun for the Indiana General Assembly Distaff, in which she was a close seventh last year, and also is running $336,723-earner Fantastical, fourth in stakes in her last two starts. 'Fantastical seems to be the filly that likes to be closer (to the pace),' he said. 'So maybe we'll have bookends as far as early on in the trip: Have one out close to the pace and one coming from off the pace.' Strikingly Spun was uncharacteristically close to the pace in her last start, Churchill Downs' Keertana Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf before weakening to eighth. 'We're taking the blinkers off this time and just hoping we get the right setup,' Sharp said. "She's a filly that comes running and needs a pace to develop to be her most effective. But she's training really well, and we're looking forward to trying to get more 'black type' (stakes placings) for her. I do think the farther the better. But last time she was really sharp, she broke (near the front) and took pressure the whole way. There was some early pressure like the half-mile pole. She had to start her run a little farther out than I would have liked.' Sharp also entered Kavod in Friday's $100,000 William Garrett Handicap at five furlongs on grass. Kavod won the Fair Grounds' off-the-turf Duncan F. Kenner and was second by a head in the Colonel Power. After several seconds and thirds in the Fair Grounds' final meet standings in his decade of training, Sharp had a breakthrough winter in New Orleans, winning that title 40-31 over multiple titlist Brad Cox. He came right back and won the Churchill Downs training crown 20 wins to 19 over Cox's powerful barn. 'What I've learned is that you have to have fresh horses to win races, period,' Sharp said. 'Obviously, you never want the roll to stop, but I'm very grateful and very appreciative of it. Because I have ridden the highs and lows throughout my career. There are a lot of top guys who have been a model of consistency and maintain consistent high, solid (win) percentages, such as Brad, such as Steve (Asmussen), Todd (Pletcher), Chad (Brown), those guys. I'm trying to stay focused and work to evolve into a barn like that. Hopefully we can continue to maintain.' Including at Horseshoe Indy. 'We love going up to Indiana,' Sharp said. 'It's close, and they're very accommodating. And their surfaces are very good.' The 31st running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby is set for a first post time of 12 p.m. Saturday, July 5 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The race is joined by the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks along with six other premier racing events with purses topping $1.1 million. The afternoon program is complemented by numerous activities including a $3,000 Derby Megabet, $2,500 Derby Legends Handicapping Contest, courtesy of the Indiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, $1,000 Derby Hat Contest, courtesy of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, cigar rolling station, strolling entertainment food trucks and more. Free parking and general admission to the Indiana Derby, which is open to guests of all ages on the racing side. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
