The 32nd running of the Grade III Indiana Derby serves as the midsummer crown jewel of Midwest racing.
Headlining a massive 13-race card at Horseshoe Indianapolis, this event brings together an exciting mix of hard-knocking stakes veterans and lightly raced, high-upside sophomores looking for a signature graded stakes breakthrough.
With nine entries for the race, however, the latest news is that the Bob Baffert-trained Desert Gate has been scratched – preferring to run in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows.
See the remaining runners, positions and the latest Indiana Derby horse racing odds below.
Indiana Derby Race Logistics and Details 2026
- Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026
- Post Time: 6:40 PM EDT (Race 12)
- Purse: $300,000
- Distance: 1 1/16 miles (dirt)
- TV Coverage: FOX Sports (FS2)
Indiana Derby Runners 2026
The 2026 edition features a highly competitive 9-horse field testing their mettle over the 1 1/16-mile stretch.
The draw showcases a nice variety of running styles, featuring raw closing speed from the outer posts balanced by tactical pace presences on the inside rail.
Lighter: A longshot looking to break out from the rail. Needs a perfect tactical trip to hit the board.
Mister T: The local Indiana-sired favorite coming off a strong second-place effort in the Sagamore Sired Stakes.
Zihnal: Strikingly bred son of Quality Road who ships in for high-percentage turf/dirt crossover trainer Jonathan Thomas.
Our Moneyman: A very consistent Louisiana-bred who loves to stay close to the early lead and has targeted this race specifically for an upgrade.
Bricklin: Ships in with an extra weight assignment (124 lbs) after proving he can trade blows with true stakes company.
Creole Chrome: Bringing plenty of early zip to the middle of the starting gate for trainer Joe Sharp.
Out of the Woods: A California shipper who possesses high cruising speed and carries the high weight of 124 lbs under jockey Luis Saez.
Leading Change: Highly regarded half-brother to multi-millionaire mare Shedaresthedevil. Making his highly anticipated stakes debut.
Desert Gate: The heavy morning-line favorite representing West Coast royalty. (SCRATCHED)
Indiana Derby Betting Odds 2026
The track handicapper has established the baseline morning-line prices, setting up an excellent wagering board with plenty of depth.
- 1 Lighter – 20/1 (Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. /Rodolphe Brisset)
- 2 Mister T – 30/1 (Mitchell Murrill/Justin Bailey)
- 3 Zihnal – 12/1 (Umberto Rispoli/ Jonathan Thomas)
- 4 Our Moneyman – 4/1 (Axel Concepcion /W. Bret Calhoun)
- 5 Bricklin – 8/1 (Fernando De La Cruz / Rodolphe Brisset)
- 6 Creole Chrome – 6/1 (Junior Alvarado / Joe Sharp)
- 7 Out of the Woods – 9/2 (Luis Saez / Philip D’Amato)
- 8 Leading Chang – 5/1 (Irad Ortiz, Jr. / Brad H. Cox)
- 9 Desert Gate – 5/2 (Florent Geroux/Bob Baffert) (SCRATCHED)
Note: Odds are subject to change
Bob Baffert Loves To Win The Indiana Derby
May 1, 2026: Bob Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby six times as a trainer. The 73-year-old also had Medina Spirit cross the finish line first in the 2021 race, but that horse failed a post-Derby drug test. – ZUMAm67_ 20260501_zaf_m67_002 Copyright: xRyanxC.xHermensx
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert holds the ultimate trump card when shipping to the Hoosier State.
He is the all-time winningest trainer in Indiana Derby history with 4 victories.
Baffert first conquered the race in ‘back-to-back’ years at its old Hoosier Park home with Misremembered (2009) and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky (2010).
He followed up with dominant scores at the current Shelbyville track via Power Broker (2013) and Cupid (2016).
Baffert clearly understands the exact blueprint required to ship a Southern California sophomore across the country to secure midwestern gold.
However, Baffert WON’T be winning a fifth as his big hope Desert Gate has been scratched. Preferring to run in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows.
Indiana Derby Picks 2026: 1-2-3 Best Bets
🥇Our Moneyman (4/1) (Win)
🥈Leading Change (5/1) (Place)
🥉Out Of The Woods (9/2) (Show)
Our Moneyman inherits the mantle of the horse to beat, and he is perfectly poised to capitalize on it.
He enters this race with an elite foundation of class, having just finished a highly credible second in the Grade III Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs behind Further Ado.
He handles distance with ease, possesses the ideal tactical early speed to secure a prime tracking position just off the leaders, and has targeted this specific race for months.
Without a West Coast speedster forcing blistering early fractions, jockey Axel Concepcion can time his move flawlessly as they hit the far turn.
The clear wildcard of the field, Leading Change slides into an incredibly advantageous position following the scratch.
The Brad Cox-trained colt will now break from what is effectively the furthest outside post, allowing five-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. to sit back.
Watch the early speed unfold inside him, and carve out a perfect stalking trip.
As a half-brother to multi-millionaire champion Shedaresthedevil, his pedigree screams routing talent. And while this is his stakes debut, his raw ceiling is arguably the highest in the field.
The West Coast presence remains alive through Out of the Woods, shipping in for trainer Phil D’Amato.
This gelding has finally put things together as a three-year-old, notably defeating Our Moneyman in a high-calibre allowance race earlier this spring before a gutsy second-place finish in the Delaware Derby.
He carries top weight at 124 lbs, but with Luis Saez in the irons, expect him to maintain a high cruising speed and fiercely battle in the stretch to round out the trifecta.
The Exotic Wagering Angle:
With Desert Gate out, the win pool value has shrank on the favorites, making the Trifecta the best way to extract cold hard cash from this race.
Key Our Moneyman (#4) on top, and play a ticket using Leading Change (#8), Out of the Woods (#7), and the explosive class-dropper Creole Chrome (#6) underneath.
Who Won The 2025 Indiana Derby?
The 2025 Indiana Derby was won by Tip Top Thomas, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and ridden by jockey John Velazquez.
He won the race in spectacular fashion on July 5, 2025, turning back a stretch challenge from Coal Battle to win by a half-length and setting a blistering new track record of 1:41.15 for the 1 1/16 miles at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
