This Saturday is Indiana Grand’s biggest day of Thoroughbred racing.  The day’s card features a pair of competitive Grade 3 stakes for the three-year-old set.  Eleven horses have entered to vie for a $500,000 Indiana Derby; eight fillies will contend for a $200,000 purse in the Indiana Oaks.  The fields feature the combinations that make the midseason Derbies so interesting: those familiar Classic contenders from the spring clash with later bloomers who hope to make their mark as their sophomore year progresses.

Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read my preview of Saturday’s Indiana Derby and Indiana Oaks, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Yesterday was Indiana Derby Day, the marquee evening of the Indiana Grand meet.  The card featured six stakes races, including a pair of Grade II events, and Picks and Ponderings was there.

In addition to horses shipping in from all over the country, there was plenty to follow for fans of the Chicago circuit.  The field in the Indiana General Assembly Distaff Stakes was full of Illinois-breds, and one of them took home the top prize.  Another bred in the Land of Lincoln invaded the superfecta in the Indiana Derby as one of the longest shots on the board.

Head over to Picks and Ponderings, and catch up on all the stakes action from yesterday at Indiana Grand!

This weekend, Paul and I are taking a road trip.  Unlike our frequent figurative use of the term, this weekend it’s for real: we are going to Indiana for the Indiana Derby (GII)!

Over at Picks and Ponderings, we have full previews of the pair of graded stakes on the card, as well as our selections for all six stakes races on the undercard.  If you have questions about how we landed in particular races, leave us a comment or send us a tweet at @picksponderings.

On race day, we’ll be at Indiana Grand.  It’s a night card, so follow us through the evening on Twitter, or come say hi to us if you’re going to be at the track!