Indiana Grand Picks & Analysis for May 12

With clear skies in the forecast for Wednesday all races at Indiana Grand should remain on the turf, which is a welcome change for this nascent meet. Our in-house handicapper is on hand with picks for the whole card, as well as analysis of his strongest plays throughout the day.

If you're looking for picks elsewhere around the country on Wednesday, be sure to check out our Free Horse Racing Picks via the gold button below.

Most Likely Winner:  Chipofftheoldblock (Race 6) - I’m not a believer in the astounding 91 Beyer Speed Figure this horse earned in his last race at Oaklawn Park, especially after the winner of that race came back to bomb at Churchill Downs, however it would take a heck of a lot of regression for him to get beat in this spot. Just go back to his start two back at Oaklawn, which netted him a respectable 83 Beyer, and he still looks close to unbeatable in this field of Indiana-breds. Regardless of whether his recent speed figures are legit, Chipofftheoldblock is an improving 4-year-old who is meeting a vastly inferior bunch.

Best Value:  Gift Wrapped (Race 4) - This mare has been a favorite of mine at Indiana Grand for some time now. She rarely wins, but she almost always gives a solid account of herself on the turf, including a string of races over this course last year that would give her a big chance. I think you can disregard her last race here on the main track as she’s never cared for dirt, and if she were to reclaim her 2020 turf form she’s going to be very live at 10-1 on the morning line. I also wouldn’t discount Je Suis Belle at 12-1, who is a nearly identical play.

Other Races of Interest:  Race 1 - B Trouble (#1) and Alpine Ghost (#6) are very beatable favorites in the day’s opener, which is why I prefer higher-priced entrants All the Diamonds (#2) and Sir Acealot (#5). The former is coming out of a much tougher spot at Keeneland in which he battled through enervating early splits with an impressive next-out winner, while the latter could get overlooked in the wagering based on his last race, a complete non-effort at Churchill Downs. Despite that debacle, Sir Acelot has a couple races from 2020 that would put him in the mix and he’s adding Lasix here as he makes his 3-year-old debut.

Race 5 - Blueridge Mountain (#3) is certainly the horse to beat in this first-level optional claimer, but he just lost at this same level as the odds-on favorite, so he’s by no means invincible. Given the fact he’s likely to be a very short price again, I’m more interested in the horse just to his inside, Ego (#2), who should improve in his second start with trainer Paul Holthus. Ego was running some pretty solid races at Oaklawn over the winter, but things went awry in his last start when he was perhaps wheeled back too quickly for Holthus. Now that he’s had ample time to recuperate, I think he’s going to get back to one of his better efforts, which is very much capable of taking down the favorite.

*If you're interested in seeing payouts for these races, you can find them on our Results page linked to below*