Indiana Grand Picks & Analysis for May 26
Another 11-race card is in the works for Wednesday at Indiana Grand. As usual, our in-house handicapper has broken down the action, with picks for every race and additional analysis of his strongest opinions 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: Whistlin’ Dixie (Race 8) - Ideally you’d want to see some faster races from a morning line 2-5 shot, but her dirt sprints still do stand out when juxtaposed with the rest of this field. Furthermore, her last race came off a layoff of nearly two years, yet she was able to pick back up right where she left off. Given the length of time she was away from the races for, it’s highly likely she improves in her second start of the year, especially as she moves from Oaklawn Park to Indiana Grand, where her trainer Michael Lauer is starting to heat up after a sluggish beginning to the meet.
Best Value: Bullseye Bun (Race 7) - More Abundance is probably the horse to beat in this race, but he’s a 9-year-old stretch-out sprinter that had success going 7 ½ furlongs last time with a good trip, so he’s far from untouchable. I think Bullseye Bun is in a great position to post the mild upset here as his form is a bit obscured coming off a wet-track flop at Churchill Downs. Prior to that, this guy ran better than it looks in his seasonal debut at Keeneland as he set some taxing splits and faded late, and ultimately I just think his turf races are better than what this group has to offer. At 6-1 on the morning line, he’s a solid play near that price.
Other Races of Interest: Race 5 - If you’re really going to give me 10-1 on Strong Style (#1), as the morning line implies will be the case, then I think he’s a no-brainer selection in this maiden claimer. Yes, he finished well behind a few of today’s main rivals in his last race, however that dull performance came over a wet track that he may not have cared for. In his prior start on a dry track he ran reasonably well against Indiana-bred maiden special weights, and a repeat of that effort would make him a major player here as he drops in for a tag for the first time in his career.
Race 9 - I’m going back to the well with trainer Genaro Garcia to close out the card, this time with his American Nightmare (#10), listed at a more reasonable 6-1 on the morning line. Again, I think you can forgive this horse’s last race, which came on a wet track here, and if you isolate his turf form he’s obviously a primary contender in this spot. Considering this is his first start with Garcia, who is having a tremendous meet thus far, it’s also possible that he moves forward off his Texas turf races, which is going to make him one tough customer.
*If you're interested in seeing payouts for these races, you can find them on our Results page linked to below*