Racing at Indiana GrandIndiana Grand and Casino

Thoroughbreds Tuesday - Garrity Picks Races, Double, at Indiana Grand

We're headed back to Indiana Grand, our summertime Tuesday standby where there's a robust 10-race mid-week card.

We expect the dirt to be fast, and the turf to be firm. Let's go . . .

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Indiana Grand Race 4 (3:39 p.m. ET)
Allowance, 5 1/2 furlongs, dirt, Indiana-bred females 3 & Up

This is a good betting race, with a field of 10 Indiana-breds sprinting 5 1/2. The favorite is 6-First Lady Maggie, who hit the board in a minor stakes here at Indiana two back, but we think the horse outside her, 7-Da High Commission, is a much better bet. She has earned comparable speed figures to First Lady Maggie, but has done so running much faster during the early portion of her races. When this happens, the bet is automatic − you bet the horse who got the fig under much tougher conditions (having to zip early). That Da High Commission drew just outside of First Lady Maggie is a plus, and the fact that Da High Commission is 6-1, compared to 8-5 for First Lady Maggie, is the clincher. We don't expect those morning-line odds to hold up − their odds at post time will be much closer − but we like Da High Commission anyway. We will bet her to win.

Indiana Grand Race 4
$30 W on 7-Da High Commission

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Indiana Grand Race 6 (4:35 p.m.)
Maiden Special Weight, 5 1/2 furlongs, dirt, Indiana-bred females 3, 4, and 5 Years Old

The even-money morning line favorite here is 2-Hypnotising, who finished a game second in a similar spot here at Indiana a month ago. She may win, but will be a short price, and she looks like an underlay to us. We have gone elsewhere looking for a winner, and we've found a first-time starter we like in 6-Dynasty of Goods. This gray 4-year-old has been working steadily in the morning, looks to have enough speed to stay in contention − she drilled three furlongs on the synthetic track at Arlington Park in 35 flat, the fastest workout of the day at Arlington at that distance − and, perhaps most important, she will not have to be the second coming of Ruffian to win this. We will bet her to win at 6-1.

Indiana Grand Race 6
$25 W on 6-Dynasty of Goods

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Indiana Grand Race 7 (5:03 p.m.)
Allowance, 1 1/16 miles, turf, 3 & Up

Indiana Grand Race 8 (5:31 p.m.)
Allowance/Optional Claiming, 5 1/2 furlongs, dirt, Indiana-breds 3 & Up

We've lumped these two together because we like a horse in each, and rather than play them separately, we're going to combine them in order to maximize their odds.

In the 7th, the pick is 4-Cassini, a 4-year-old Irish-bred colt whose turf breeding (by Galileo, out of a Danehill Dancer mare) is as good as you'll ever see at Indiana Grand. He's been away for a long time, and this mile and a sixteenth distance is probably shorter than he likes, but we think he wins anyway, as he appears simply to outclass this field. He comes from the powerhouse Brad Cox barn, and Cox is good with horses making their first North American start. Cassini is 2-1 here.

In the 8th, we like the outside horse, 8-Containment. His last two races, at Churchill Downs and Mountaineer Park, are good enough to win here, and he gets the coveted outside post in this one-turn sprint. We think he stalks the speed and seizes control of the race down the lane. He is 5-2 on the morning line.

Indiana Grand Races 7-8
$40 Double 2-8

That's all for today. Good luck at the windows.

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