The IND Derby (Grade 3)- $300.000 Purse
IND- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
July 5, 2025

It’s the one weekend per year where IND gets some racing to talk about, as the Grade 3 IND Derby takes place. This is the 13th year that the race has been carded, and it has seen some very good winners in its history, including but not limited to Edwin Drood and Wahpekute Sioux. This year’s race hasn’t attracted one of the top performers from a TC race, as they may be looking for other options this month with larger purses, but we do have the third-place finisher from the PRK here as well as two others who made the KYD. Last year at this time, Edward The Good was a horse that had not run in any of the TC races, but the win kickstarted a streak of great performance that led to him running second in the BC Dirt Mile, and he’s off to a great start in 2025. Wahpekute Sioux was the 2023 winner, so whoever wins this race will have a couple of tough acts to follow. We initially had eight entered but are now at seven. I can’t predict if weather may be an issue because “forecast data is currently unavailable” within the game. Here’s a look at the field:

1- The Golden Age (Mb Stables, ridden by D Davis)- Made an immediate impact with Mb Stables after the trainer picked him for $145.000 in private sales, winning three races in a row, which included the $500.000 VA Derby, and then the Grade 1 SA Derby. Entering the KYD, it seemed like he could have a decent shot, but never really got going in the slop. He did finish in the top half of the field but was beaten five lengths. While that can be forgiven, his effort last month in the Grade 1 Stephens was also flat and uninspiring. Worked well after that, so he could be poised to bounce back here.

2- Decal (Williams9, ridden by S Doyle)- Ran in all three TC races, and if we add them up, he lost by a combined 28 lengths in them, beating no one in the KYD, two horses in the PRK, and one horse in the BEL. In six starts as a two-year-old, Decal has not hit the board though did run fourth twice. He’s falling back at that win in Grade 1 Breeders Futurity from October a lot, but that was nine months ago now and it’s time for Decal to provide another example of why he should be in races like this. Doesn’t have to win but can’t have another dud.

3- Classical (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by G Corrales)- Win or bust is the story of his career thus far, with his three wins being the only time he has hit the board over his ten starts. To date, his biggest win was the $125.000 Gander for NY-Breds in March, but following that, he has been beaten by a combined 17 lengths in two graded attempts. It’s been almost two months since his last race, so hopefully there is improvement behind the scenes with him.

4- Prairie Eclipse (Family Racing, ridden by A R Rodriguez)- A horse that seems to be have a knack for rising to the occasion whenever he is out there. Prior to being claimed for $7.500 in February, Prairie Eclipse was running well where he was entered, but it would be Family Racing that brought him through the ranks, with each step resulting in a win or a second. The last step up that he took was his graded debut, where he was second in the Grade 3 Winn at CD. Now, as he continues to move forward, he’ll take on some TC runners. That PRX work concerns me, though. But as we know, there can be many reasons for that.

5- Red Font (John Henry, ridden by V Espinoza)- Of those that ran in at least one TC race, Red Font did the best, running third in the PRK, two weeks after he had finished 10th in the KYD. Not long after his run in the PRK, he was sold by Wood Duck Stables to John Henry for $250.000 and debuted in his new silks in the BEL at SAR. That would not be his best race, finishing near the back. As a whole, he has had an inconsistent career, but especially as a three-year-old. However, he is now in a new barn, and John Henry’s had more time to get acquainted with him now.

6- Candy Fear Party (Martyparty, ridden by P Husbands)- Had a strong two year old season that he capped off by winning the $300.000 In Reality, part of the FL Sire Stakes. At the time, it was his third win in a row, but he has not gained any traction off of that in 2025. Struggled in three preps, although his SA Derby result may have been a lot better of an effort than the finishing position suggests. After that, he was dropped into optional claimers and did hit the board in both but won neither. The trainer’s confident in a bounce back, and I can see him getting a piece of this.

7- Small Things (Mb Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Whenever I see a horse like this in this type of race for Mb, I have to wonder if he is about to unleash his next giant. Small Things has mostly run on the turf, and while with Mb Stables, he has four wins in seven starts (in total is five for nine). Hasn’t run in a graded race yet, hasn’t run long yet, but then there’s the matter of that AQU work from June 25th. So, yes, he still has to prove himself, but it’s hard to doubt him. The next Mb monster? Stay tuned.

Prediction: 1-5-7-6

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES