2026 Indiana Derby Preview at Horseshoe Indianapolis

Key Takeaways:

• The Indiana Derby blends proven graded-stakes form with several lightly raced sophomores, making it one of the more intriguing second-half tests for three-year-olds.
• With several speed horses drawn together, the race sets up for a runner who can settle just behind the pace and finish strongest in the stretch.
• Our Moneyman brings the strongest recent stakes form in the field, and his tactical style and proven ability at 1 1/16 miles make him the horse to beat.
• Zihnal is an appealing long shot with upside, coming off a local maiden win for a barn that has a knack for moving improving horses into tougher company.
• Leading Change has raced only once, but his dominant debut, pedigree, and Brad Cox's success with first-time routers give him the highest ceiling in the field.

Saturday, July 11, is the flagship day of horse racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, featuring the Grade 3 Indiana Derby. The Indiana Derby always draws a mix of horses with graded-stakes experience, often on the Kentucky Derby trail, as well as some new faces trying to make an impact in the second half of the season.

The 2026 Indiana Derby drew a field of nine, though eight are expected to run. Major contenders among those runners include impressive maiden winner Leading Change, Matt Winn (G3) runner-up Our Moneyman, and Blue Grass (G1) fourth-place finisher Creole Chrome. Bob Baffert cross-entered Desert Gate in this race and the Iowa Derby, but has announced that Desert Gate will run in Iowa.

The Indiana Derby dates back to 1996 at Hoosier Park, and was run there until 2012. When Hoosier Park switched to harness racing, the race was moved to Indiana Grand, the Thoroughbred racing track. It has been run there ever since; Horseshoe Indianapolis is the same track, renamed in 2022. Major winners of the Indiana Derby over the years have included durable fan favorites Perfect Drift (2002) and Brass Hat (2004), as well as two-time Eclipse champion Lookin at Lucky (2010).

2026 Indiana Derby Information

• Race Date: Saturday, July 11
• Track: Horseshoe Indianapolis
• Post Time: 6:40 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 1/16 miles on the dirt
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Indiana Derby Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2026 edition of the Indiana Derby, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds. Desert Gate is expected to scratch in favor of the Iowa Derby.

Indiana Derby Prep Race Results

Only one of the expected eight starters in the Indiana Derby comes out of a graded-stakes race. Our Moneyman, a multiple Louisiana-bred stakes winner, faced open stakes foes for the first time June 7 in the Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs and ran a good second behind Further Ado.

Four others come out of ungraded stakes. Two come out of open three-year-old races: Out of the Woods disputed the pace and chased on for second in the Delaware Derby on June 13, and Bricklin stalked the pace and flattened to fourth in the Long Branch at Monmouth on May 10. Two others come out of restricted stakes for sophomores. Despite a bit of early trouble, Creole Chrome routed Louisiana-breds by 18 lengths in the Louisiana Legends Cheval Stakes, a dirt mile at Evangeline on June 6. Mister T chased on for second behind Hoosier star Jr Shadow Boy in the Sagamore Sired Handicap, a 5 ½-furlong sprint restricted to horses sired by Indiana stallions.

Three others come from non-stakes races. Lighter was third in a first-level allowance dirt mile at Churchill on May 31, his first start against winners. Zihnal broke his maiden on June 10 in a one-mile, 70-yard dirt race at Horseshoe Indianapolis on June 10, graduating at third asking. Leading Change comes out of a 6 ½-length romp in his debut in a maiden special weight on June 7 at Churchill Downs, going seven furlongs on dirt.

Indiana Derby Contenders

These are the runners in the 2026 Indiana Derby, in order of their post positions.

1. Lighter: The second-stringer for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, he won his sprint debut over the local course, but was no match trying allowance company in a dirt mile at Churchill Downs. A trip back to where he has won may help, and he should get pace to rally into, but the class level will be a lot more like the group he faced at Churchill Downs. The distance is also a mixed bag – it’ll be his first two-turn try, and though sire Constitution bodes well for the stretch out, his dam Galina Point was a sprinter, by a sire (Saffir) who tends to throw sprinters.
2. Mister T: He is a nice Indiana-bred, with a trio of wins against Indiana company last year and then a runner-up finish last out in an Indiana-sired race, but he has been well beaten in both tries against open company, including the Lexington (G3) two back at Keeneland. His pace versatility is a plus, but he has never run a race fast enough to compete with the better horses in this field, and there’s no convincing reason that he’ll take such a huge step forward Saturday.
3. Zihnal: This son of Quality Road got his diploma last month at Horseshoe Indianapolis; his connections considered wheeling him back for the Ohio Derby (G3), even entered him, but scratched him. Trainer Jonathan Thomas is shrewd with last-out winners. He needs to take a step forward, but he is lightly-enough raced to still have upside, and he has the tactical speed to stay out of a front-end fight.
4. Our Moneyman: With eight starts, he is one of the most seasoned runners in the field. A son of 2019 Indiana Derby winner Mr. Money, he looked like a nice Louisiana-bred over the winter at Fair Grounds – and then, with a close third in a Churchill allowance followed by a second in the Matt Winn, has proven that he does cut it against open company. He stays at the same 1 1/16-mile distance that has been working well for him in recent starts, he keeps jockey Axel Concepcion in the saddle, and his tactical versatility should help him work a trip behind the speed, but not too far back. And, if the chance of rain in the forecast bears out? He broke his maiden in the Keeneland slop, meaning he should be able to handle that footing, too.
5. Bricklin: The top-string contender for Rodolphe Brisset, he tried a few Kentucky Derby preps but never finished better than a well-beaten third in a points race. He has freshened up since a well-beaten fourth in the Long Branch, a race where he was well bet but regressed. The mile and a sixteenth should be a good distance for him, but he needs to be on the lead and has other pace drawn outside him, meaning he will likely get the worst of it from a pace perspective.
6. Creole Chrome: He got a confidence-builder against Louisiana-breds last out, but now he steps back up to graded company. This isn’t as tough an ask as the Blue Grass (G1) or the Pat Day Mile (G2), and his best race would certainly be competitive. Pace is a question, however – he does his best work up front, and although he has shown tactical speed in some sprint wins, that hasn’t translated yet to a two-turn trip, and he is drawn between two speedy horses.
7. Out of the Woods: This son of Constitution needed six tries to break his maiden, but seems to have put it together now that he has tapped into a frontrunning style. The 1 1/16-mile distance is a good one for him, jockey Luis Saez is aggressive enough to be a good fit, and he can run his race at different tracks. He is also drawn outside the other major speed in this race … a decent draw given the circumstances, though he may just be on too fast a pace early to stay on late.
8. Leading Change: The least experienced horse in the field, Leading Change has raced just once, but that race was impressive. It was a fast maiden win going seven furlongs at Churchill Downs. His pedigree suggests he can improve at two turns: after all, he is a Gun Runner half-brother to Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil. Trainer Brad Cox is also excellent with first-time routers, an impressive 31% over the last three years. He has a lot of upside for a barn that wins the Indiana Derby often, though, especially with the scratch of Desert Gate, the price probably won’t be much.
9. Desert Gate: Desert Gate is scratching from the Indiana Derby and will run in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows instead.

Indiana Derby: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Indiana Derby:

1. Our Moneyman (4-1)

Our Moneyman proved last out in the Matt Winn that he can hold his own against stakes horses outside of Louisiana, chasing home to finish second, two lengths behind Grade 1 winner Further Ado. He is finding the fastest races of his career at 1 1/16 miles, the distance of the Indiana Derby. He should be able to break from this nice middle gate and get a good spot tracking a contested pace under jockey Axel Concepcion, who is not only his regular rider but has been strong in his visits to Indiana this meet. And, if the possibility of rain comes to fruition, he is one of only two horses in the field who is proven over a wet track.

Though he is the shortest price on the morning line among the horses expected to start in the race, there is a good chance he doesn’t hold as that come post time. There is a lot of steam and a lot of expectation around Leading Change, the Brad Cox horse on the outside – between that horse’s maiden win and the fact that horses from that barn just take money by virtue of the name Brad Cox, this more seasoned Bret Calhoun charge may escape notice despite the fact that Calhoun knows how to win this race, too. After all, Calhoun won in 2019 with Our Moneyman’s sire Mr. Money, as well as with Mr. Wireless two years later.

2. Zihnal (12-1)

Zihnal has class to prove, since he is making his first start since a local maiden special weight win, and now faces not only winners for the first time, but stakes horses. His running style should work well in this race: he showed tactical speed over two turns last out, suggesting he should be able to stay out of a contested pace in front of him but not have to drop too far back and leave himself too much to do late.

Of course, he will have to take a step forward to win this. However, there are reasons he can. He is lightly-enough raced to improve still, he comes third off the layoff, and trainer Jonathan Thomas is excellent with horses coming out of maiden victories – in fact, he turns a flat-bet profit over the last three years with both last-out maiden winners as well as horses running in graded-stakes company. You don’t put up a record like that at the windows without spotting your horses well and having a good idea when they can take a step up against tougher company.

3. Leading Change (5-1)

Leading Change is the horse with the least experience, but the most upside in this race. Most of the horses have raced enough that it’s pretty clear who they are – a lot of nice listed-level, Grade 3-level runners here, but no one who has suggested they’ll be at the very top level later this season. And then, there’s Leading Change, a late-blooming debut maiden winner who very well might use this as a springboard to Grade 1 company if this goes well. His maiden race at Churchill came back fast; he showed good tactical speed that day, and being a Gun Runner half to Shedaresthedevil, he has a right to be better at two turns than he was in a sprint.

Of course, the price is the question. Even with Desert Gate in the field, Leading Change was probably not going to be 5-1, and without him there, he’ll be well below those odds. But, the upside is there, and anyone who has confidence in his ability to move forward, and sees some prices in other legs of multi-race wagers, could make a defensible case for leaning on Leading Chance in multi-race bets and trying to catch a price elsewhere.

Indiana Derby FAQ

Here are answers to commonly asked questions about the Indiana Derby.

Q: When is the Indiana Derby?

A: The Indiana Derby will be run Saturday, July 11, at 6:40 Eastern Daylight Time. It is the 12th of 13 races on Horseshoe Indianapolis’s flagship card, with eight stakes among the races.

Q: Where is the Indiana Derby?

A: The race takes place at Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Indiana.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Indiana Derby?

A: Bob Baffert leads all trainers with four wins in the Indiana Derby, most recently in 2016 with Cupid. He entered Desert Gate in 2026, but will be racing him in the Iowa Derby instead. Brad Cox has won the race three times, most recently in 2024 with Dragoon Guard, and can tie Baffert’s record if Leading Change wins.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Indiana Derby?

A: Desert Gate was named the 5-2 morning-line favorite but is not expected to run. Among horses who are expected to start, Our Moneyman has the shortest price at 4-1. He should be among the favorites, given that he is the only runner coming out of a graded-stakes race and that effort was a strong second behind the proven Further Ado in the Matt Winn. However, watch for action on impressive maiden winner Leading Change (5-1) and Delaware Derby runner-up Out of the Woods (9-2).

Q: Who is the best Indiana Derby jockey?

A: Two jockeys lead the all-time Indiana Derby standings with three wins each: Robby Albarado and Florent Geroux. Geroux was named on Desert Gate in the Indiana Derby, but Desert Gate will race in the Iowa Derby with Geroux in the irons there. Among jockeys actually riding in the 2026 Indiana Derby, two have won it once before. Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. (Lighter) won in 2023 with Verifying, and Luis Saez (Out of the Woods) won in 2014 with East Hall.

Q: Who won the Indiana Derby in 2025?

A: Tip Top Thomas won the 2025 Indiana Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher, with jockey John Velazquez in the irons. Neither Pletcher nor Velazquez returns to the race in 2026.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.