New July dates set for the Indiana Derby and Oaks

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino has set new dates for its Indiana Derby and Oaks.

The Indiana Derby (G3) will run on Wednesday, July 8, with a new purse of $300,000 and a new distance of 1 1/8 miles. The Indiana Oaks (G3) will run on the same program including six-stakes while retaining its $200,000 purse and 1 1/16-mile distance.

Initial plans called for the Indiana Derby to be run at 1 1/16 miles on July 11 with a $500,000 purse.

The new dates are contingent on approval from the Indiana Horse Racing Commission for the recently proposed racing dates of a 94-day season, beginning June 15 and ending Nov. 15.

In expanding prep races for the 2020 Kentucky Derby, now scheduled for Sept. 5, Churchill Downs added the Indiana Derby, with the top four finishers earnings points on a 20-8-4-2 basis. The top Indiana Oaks finishers will receive the same number of points toward the Sept. 4  Kentucky Oaks.

“These unprecedented times have given us many challenges yet some opportunities as well,” Eric Halstrom, Indiana Grand vice president and general manager of racing, said in a news release. “We’re grateful to Churchill Downs for including our signature stakes’ in the Kentucky Derby qualifying points system in this unique year.  And while it will be a different on-track experience when holding the race on a Wednesday afternoon, we think it’s the best spot to avoid conflict with other important 3-year old races and maximize handle opportunities on the national racing scene.”

The Shelbyville, Ind., track's revised Thoroughbred stakes calendar consists of 34 stakes worth $3.2 million in purses. The stakes scheduled includes the newly named Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial Stakes, a turf event on the July 8 card. Schuster was a longtime general manager of Indiana Grand.