Regional Derby season is in full swing post-Triple Crown and those looking to carve out some space for class and cash will hit the Midwest this holiday weekend. Saturday’s Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby tops the bill at Horseshoe Indianapolis, while the $250,000 Iowa Derby shares the Cornhusker Day card at Prairie Meadows.
Let’s meet the contenders for the Indiana Derby (Race 12, 6:33 pm ET):
#1-PUBLISHER: Eight-race maiden exits a 14th-place Kentucky Derby finish and continues to be aggressively spotted by trainer Steve Asmussen and the ownership. Colt by 2015 Triple Crown winner will be making a fifth straight graded-stakes attempt, his ledger including a runner-up in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby behind Sandman to prove his mettle. Evenly matched in 2 Oaklawn decisions against Indiana Derby rival Coal Battle. Asmussen won this race in 2007 (Zanjero) and 2011 (Wilburn).
#2-MASTER CONTROLLER: Tapiture colt makes a significant class leap after wiring maiden claiming sprinters at Churchill Downs on May 24, his first start of 2025. The Brittany Vanden Berg trainee finished out of the money in all 3 starts as a juvenile. Potential pace player under Chris Emigh could make the lead and rail in his ambitious upset bid.
#3-COAL BATTLE: Four-time stakes winner at Delta Downs, Remington Park and Oaklawn’s Smarty Jones and Grade 2 Rebel, he looks to snap a 3-race skid that includes third-place efforts in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and most recently Churchill’s Grade 3 Matt Winn. The only time he’s been out of the money in 8 dirt starts was his 11th-place run in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Lonnie Briley turns back to jockey Corey Lanerie, who rode him last out in the Winn.
#4-SHAN: Ed Moger Jr. claimed this Shancelot colt for $50,000 last November at Churchill after winning a Horseshoe Indy allowance prior when under the tutelage of Steve Asmussen. Shan has yet to win in 7 starts for Moger, including a pair of claiming sprint runner-up tries at Churchill in his last pair. He’s yet to win around 2 turns and 3: 0-0-1 in stakes. Evin Roman will pilot.
#5-CHUNK OF GOLD: Ohio Derby runner-up June 21 runs back on just 2 weeks’ rest after being outkicked late by Mo Plex as the 6-5 favorite at Thistledown. Trainer Ethan West once again turns to jockey Jareth Loveberry, who piloted this one to runner-up finishes in the Grade 2 Risen Star and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby before a ninth-place Kentucky Derby effort. Son of Preservationist could once again vie for favoritism in the Indiana Derby lineup.
#6-TIP TOP THOMAS: Lightly raced Todd Pletcher trainee makes his fifth career start on Saturday and exits a wire-to-wire Aqueduct allowance mile around 1 turn. Last year’s Grade 1 Champagne runner-up hooked a tough Keeneland allowance in April for his return from 6 months on the bench, finishing fourth to Gunmetal. Pletcher aims for his first Indiana Derby victory, last finishing fourth here in 2013 with Micromanage. Veteran John Velazquez has the call, replacing Irad Ortiz Jr., who will be riding at Saratoga this weekend.
#7-BIG TRUZZ: Late bloomer debuted an impressive Keeneland sprint winner on April 12 for Brian Lynch. Chased Patch Adams in both a Kentucky Derby Day allowance sprint and in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga over 7 furlongs. Declan Cannon named to ride the colt by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Notably, Big Truzz is cross-entered in Saturday’s Iowa Derby and a final decision as to his intentions has yet to be released.
#8-BROTHA KENY: Bill Morey trainee never got uncorked on the Tapeta this winter-spring at Turfway Park, but has blossomed on dirt at Horseshoe Indy. Mo Town gelding has won back-to-back routes, an April 24 maiden and a May 28 entry-level allowance by more than 3 lengths. It took 7 tries to break his maiden and this will be his first stakes bid, but he has some local affinity in his corner.
#9-INSTANT REPLAY: Texas Derby and Bath House Row Stakes winner aims for a third straight score and, if successful, could give trainer Brad Cox a third straight Indiana Derby victory. Cox won the last pair with Verifying and Dragoon Guard and also secured the Indiana Derby trophy in 2020 with Shared Sense. A fourth win would tie Bob Baffert’s race record for wins by a trainer. Instant Replay has won 4 of his last 6, each time as favorite, and could be the chalk Saturday under Luan Machado.
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Let’s meet the contenders for the Iowa Derby (Race 7, 7:38 pm ET):
#1-AUTHENTIC GALLOP: Son of 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic has finished off the board in the Virginia Derby and the Sir Barton at Pimlico in his last 2 starts. Churchill-based colt has been working on turf of late, but gets another try on dirt after a pair of wins this winter at Oaklawn. Brian Hernandez Jr. rides for the first time aboard this Tom Amoss trainee.
#2-BIG TRUZZ: Late bloomer debuted an impressive Keeneland sprint winner on April 12 for Brian Lynch. Chased Patch Adams in both a Kentucky Derby Day allowance sprint and in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga over 7 furlongs. Declan Cannon named to ride the colt by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Notably, Big Truzz is cross-entered in Saturday’s Indiana Derby and a final decision as to his intentions has yet to be released.
#3-ITSMYBIRTHDAY: Texas Derby runner-up at Lone Star Park for trainer Robertino Diodoro looks for his first stakes score. He’s 3-for-3 in maiden and allowance races, 0-for-3 at the stakes level, finishing off the board in the Sunland Derby as well as Keeneland’s Lafayette prior to his improved Texas effort last out. Colt hails from the first crop of hot young sire Vekoma.
#4-MAGNITUDE (pictured): Massive performance Feb. 15 in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes had this one among the Triple Crown trail early favorites for the classics before being sidelined by an ankle chip. Returned to the workout tab in May and has 6t perfectly spaced drills at Churchill Downs for the comeback spot, where he’ll be strongly favored. Four-time Iowa Derby-winning trainer Steve Asmussen looks to surpass Bob Baffert for the all-time lead in victories in this race. Ben Curtis, his pilot in the 43-1 Risen Star smoke show by nearly 10 lengths, gets the return call.
#5-MICKSWAGGER: Tops the locals after winning the Prairie Mile on June 7 as the Iowa Derby’s chief prep. New Mexico-based trainer Bart Hone has had a remarkable Prairie Meadows season, winning 8 of 15, including 2-for-2 from this colt by Volatile. Jockey Elvin Gonzalez is second in the meet standings coming into the weekend and winning at a sharp 24% rate. Gonzalez piloted Ain’t Life Grand to the 2022 Iowa Derby crown, the last locally based runner to do so.
#6-MAVERAMA: Longshot runner-up in the Prairie Mile must make up 3 lengths on Mickswagger in their Iowa Derby rematch while also taking on the shippers. Maiden claiming graduate is 2-for-10 for Todd Jordan, winning his Prairie Mile allowance prep over this track in mid-May. Second on this card a year ago when a distant runner-up in the Prairie Gold Juvenile.
#7-MISTER OMAHA: Oklahoma-based colt for Joe Offolter is a 4-time stakes winner vs. state-breds at Remington Park and Will Rogers Downs. Respectable, but unthreatening fourth in the Texas Derby at Lone Star against open company, 4 lengths behind Iowa Derby rival Itsmybirthday at the wire Omaha Beach colt has won 5 of 8 for owner-breeder Bryan Hawk and veteran jockey Luis Quinonez has been aboard in every start.
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