(Stats to be updated)

Here’s our looks for Saturday’s edition at “The Shoe” — which will feature the G3 Indiana Oaks and the G3 Indiana Derby. Two great races filled with great prospects and filled with promise for another exciting group of races.

Here’s hoping that you get a chance to go out to “The Shoe” and witness one of the best scenes in horse racing today. The songs blaring in-between the races. The crowd growing on the apron and moving to the rail just minutes before each post in a mass wave. The horses on their toes, just a bit more. The sweat dropping from the bill of the cap, just a touch more. And, the excitement in the air — with each call to the post and the great race delivery by one of the best announcers in the game ever — John G. Dooley.

Adds up to one heck of a day.

Here’s our picks:

1st: 7-4/2-1-5//6…J Pop (7) gets the call in the ole’ lid-lifter on this Indiana Derby Day celebration. This 4YO Indiana-bred gelding comes in off a near-miss 3rd in the career debut here on June 20. Pushed the pace from the outset and just tired at the end. If he improves any at all off the career debut? Look out. Like this one with a very capable gate rider up in the saddle. I bet the 7 across the board and double down on the win wager. I box the 7-4 in the exactas. Sternly. I key the 7 over/under the 4-2-1-5 in two smaller exactas. 

2nd: 3-1-2/8/5-7-6…Capt’n Pke (3) will make the debut here for a top barn operator and gets the call in the initial start, for me. The work on June 28 was spot on. Trainer wins with .20% in the MSW ranks. Breeding suggests the one should like the sod, as well. Adds up, and the rider is having a very solid meet. I bet the 3 to win/place/show and then box the top 3 in the exactas. I will key the top 3 over/under the 8 in two smaller units. 

3rd: 7/5/6-1-3/2..The first Key Play of the Day comes here with Head of the Class (7). This 3YO son of Awesome Slew is a Florida-bred and will make the career debut here for trainer Brad Cox, who I think is the best conditioner in the land these days. With first timers, the barn wins with .22%. Dam of this one has produced 6 winners from 7 starters. Work on June 29 at Churchill Downs was nice. Very nice. Adds up for me. I bet the 7 across the board and double down on the win wager. I will key the 7 over/under the 5-6-1-3-2 in the exactas. More with the 5 than the rest. 

4th: 6-1/7-3/4//5/2…Mari Hulman George Memorial Stakes…Loved (6) is a Godolphin Stables homebred and is coming off two straight G3 Stakes outings. Was the pace-setter in both of those and just tired before the wire. Gets a top rider to take the reins for the first time here. Looks like this class should fit just a tad better and this 5YO mare looks like she could be very salty in this spot. Hidden Connection (1) has won over $834,000 in her career and is still banging hands in the Graded Stakes company. In the last 5 starts, has been facing Graded company in 4 of them. Has a 2nd in that group and won a Stakes at the Fair Grounds back in December. Still can pick them up and put down. Will push our top pick every step of the way. I bet the 6 across the board and then double down on the win wager. I will box the 6-1 in the exactas and then key the 6-1 over/under the 3-7-4 in two smaller units. 

5th: 11/9-8-10//7…The next “Key Play of the Day” comes here with Tiz Eddie (11). This 3YO Indiana-bred has hit the board in 4 of 6 lifetime tries and has been knocking on the door nearly every race this year, as well. Has speed. Will travel. Regular rider should fit him well. Look for this one to shoot out early and should be tough to catch. I bet the 11 across the board and double down on the win wager. I will key the 11 over/under the 9-8-10 in the exactas. 

6th: 6-10-1/3-11-2-4/8/9//5…Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial Stakes…Let’s hope this one stays on the sod after all the rain we have received in the area of late. Should be a dandy, if it does. I will go with Masteroffoxhounds (6). This 7YO veteran has run 27 times over the sod and has a record of 4-5-6. Has won over $650,000 in purses and comes in here off a run in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita last November. Although that day was not spectacular, this one nearly won the G2 John Henry at Santa Anita the race before. Has speed. Can stalk. Will be a tough out. Kupuna (10) could spice up the odds rack here. Listed at 10-1 in the ML. Has only 1 start over the sod in the career and it was a losing one. But? Has been very tough on the dirt in the last 3 and if he can convert that talent to the grass here? Look out. Worth a chance. Runaway Storm (1) has not been out since winning the G3 Bryan Station Stakes at KEE last October. Training well and does have a win over this sod. I bet the 6 across the board and then double down on the win wager. I will box the top 3 numbers in the exactas. I will also key the top 3 over/under the 3-11 in two smaller units. 

7th: 8-3/7/6-12-(13)-(15)-(14)/2-1-4-9…Snack Handicap Stakes…This is a 1-mile event over the sod and I saddle up with Molly’s Town (8). This 3YO gelding comes in off a 2nd last time out and has the speed to be very dangerous if no other horse and rider decide to push the pace. Hoosier Daddy Now (3) is a long shot possibility and is listed at 12-1 in the ML. Gets the meet’s top rider up and has a win the last time out over the dirt. Will try grass for the first time and this trainer wins with .30% of the last 10 to do that. Don’t leave out. I bet the 8-3 across thee board and then box these two in the exactas. I will key the 8-3 over/under the 7-6-12-13-15-14 in two smaller units. 

8th: 10-4/5-1/7-11/8-2/3…Michael G. Schaefer Memorial Stakes…Mr. Wireless (10) is a special horse around these parts. The 6YO gelding won the Indiana Derby in 2021 and has gone on to win over $1 million in purses. Doesn’t show many signs of slowing down. Ran a huge one just two starts ago as well., Loves this track with 2 wins in 2 starts here before. Gets a new rider, who won the Kentucky Derby this year. Nice play. I bet the 10 across the board and then double down on the win wager. I will box the 10-4 in the exactas. I will key the 10-4 over/under the 5-1-7-11-8-2 in two smaller units.

9th: 4-9/1-12/2-7-8-11/(13)-(14)/10…Ellen’s Lucky Star Handicap…I go with Under the Palms (4) in this one. This 3YO Enticed fillet has out-run her pedigree and has a nice win to break the MSW at Oaklawn Park. The addition of Lasix has helped this one immensely, too. Over the last 4 starts, this one has gotten much better. KY Derby winning trainer / rider team up again here. Could pull another rabbit. Best Cupcake (9) won the last time out here by an easy and increasing 2 lengths. I am not a big fan of this barn’s overall success, but this one is legit. Must use for me. I bet the 4 across the board and then double down on the win wager. I will box the 4-9 in the exactas. I will key the 4 over/under the 9-1-12-2-7-8-11 in two smaller units. 

10th: 10-5-9/3-2/1-8//6-7…Indiana General Assembly Distaff Handicap…I go with the #10 in the 10th race — just for some luck. Right. I really like Elounda Queen (10). This 4YO Irish-bred picks up Lasix for the first time and Brad Cox is the best in the game today. With first Lasix, his steeds have won .34% of the time with the last 245 as a sample size. Has yet to win in this country, but a matter of time. Love it here. I bet the 10 across the board and then double down on the win wager. I will  box the top 3 numbers in the exactas. I will key the 10 over/under the 5-9-3-2-1-8 in two smaller units. 

11th: 7-4/6-2-8//1-3…G3 Indiana Oaks…This is the first of two headliners for today’s magnificent card. I go with Impel (7) in this spot. The 3YO Quality Road filly ran a huge 2nd in the G2 Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs on KY Oaks day. Has trained great since then. In 4 starts, this one has hit the board each time and in two straight Graded Stakes. Look s like this one can lay a bit closer to the pace-setters here. And, that is a huge advantage. My solid pick. Neon Icon (4) will try Stakes company for the first time, but has flashed a lot of talent in two straight wins to start the career. May be the one to take the lead early and play a little “catch me if you can” with this field. I bet the 7 across the board and double/triple down on the win wager. I will box the top 2 in the exactas. Sternly. I will key the 7 over/under the 4-6-2-8 in two more solid units. 

12th: 8-2-7/5/3/6/1-4…G3 Indiana Derby…The finale on one great day of racing and I will hook up with Dragoon Guard (8) in the biggest race of the year here. This 3YO son of Arrogate has won 2 of the first 3 and was beaten a neck in the career debut at Churchill Downs last year. Has nothing zero wrong and should make the easy step up to face Stakes horses here. Training great for a top barn operation. Gets the barn’s go-to rider to ship in, as well. Lots to like here. Stronghold (2) won the G1 Santa Anita Derby just two starts ago and ran a very credible race in the G1 Kentucky Derby, too. Just seemed to get a bit tired late. California rider travels with the horse. Can’t leaver out. E J Won the Cup (7) comes in and will get the Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith to come with him. Get this. Mike Smith. Rides in the G3 Indiana Derby. Love it. The duo has teamed up to win a couple of times already, including the Texas Derby last time out. Getting better and better. I bet the 8-7 across the board and then box the top 3 numbers in the exactas. Sternly. I go back and do all those things again. I will key the top 3 over/under the 5-3 in two smaller units.

Good Luck & All the Best / Gene

“Toni Stone,” a play based on a woman who joined the roster of Negro League baseball’s Indianapolis Clowns in 1953, will serve as the debut production of the Indianapolis Black Theatre Co.

The professional Equity Theater (a designation of the Actors’ Equity Association, a union for live theater performers) aspires to create a space for Black artists to collaborate and thrive, founding Artistic Director Ben Rose said.

The group executed a “soft launch” this spring, when it co-produced and presented “Platanos y Collard Greens” in Anderson, Muncie and at the Indianapolis Black Theatre Co.’s home venue of The District Theatre, 627 Massachusetts Ave.

Rose told IBJ he’s assembled a dozen of the 15 members he plans to hire for the theater company. Rose’s work in the Indianapolis artistic community includes his founding of the Indy Filmmakers Bootcamp in 2010 and the co-founding of the Black-n-Brown Soulidarity Festival in 2021.

How does the structure of a theater company set it apart from other ways plays are presented?

Honestly, I don’t think there’s a model here locally for the type of theater company that I’m putting together. A lot of times, belonging to a theater company means you get to audition for roles first or you might get together once a year as a company.

But from what I’ve seen locally, there’s not a lot of intentionality put toward building the theater and the actors together. What I’m trying to do is build a support system for actors as Black creatives. I’m developing a theater that I hope is going to be a more sustainable model than just me being an artistic director who fundraises every year.

One of the things I’m pursuing is being able to represent our company members as an agency. A lot of people know this, but theater doesn’t make any money. It’s something our community sponsors at a corporate level and at a personal donation-giving level to make that happen. Very few people can actually make a living just doing theater.

Film, on the other hand, commercial projects, print work and things like that are all very lucrative things actors can do. … I’m bringing those into the theater space.

Does the company include positions beyond acting?

I’m in talks with a few writers in town, and I have two directors on board. I’m probably looking to pull maybe one or two more in because another arm of what we’re doing is creating original content.

I’m getting ready to announce a national Black playwriting contest. The winner of the contest gets a one-year development deal. We will actually give them a cash prize, and then we’ll also produce that play in our next season. The ultimate thought with that is, eventually we’ll be able to take things all the way from stage to screen.

It starts off with writers developing monologues for our actors, just to practice and to work with. But we might say, “Hey, that’s a really great monologue. Can we expand that into a two-person piece and then develop original content from there?”

We want to be known as a place that provides content for people outside Indiana, just like we want content that’s coming out of New York and coming out of California. We’re reversing the flow and making it so we’re licensable to the rest of the world.

What can you share about the upcoming “Toni Stone” production?

A friend of mine, Don Burrus, who I used to work with at the Phoenix Theatre, called me up and said, “Have you heard about this play, ‘Toni Stone’?” I said, “No.” He said, “She was the first female baseball player, and she’s Black, and she played for the Indianapolis Clowns.” I said, “What? How do I not know this history?” It’s kind of like not knowing about Major Taylor or somebody like that.

These people have a lot of recognition outside of here, but we’ve lost track of our own history. [Chicago-based playwright] Lydia Diamond wrote a play based loosely on a historical book about Toni Stone.

And there’s a reading scheduled?

We’re doing a reading on July 13, just to build partnerships with a lot of people. It may be kind of a non-traditional reading, because the first half of the play might have one Toni Stone and the second half of the play might have a different Toni Stone. It’s not meant to be the final product. It’s meant to be, “Let’s get this started. Let’s listen to it. Let’s have some discussion about it and how we can collaborate.” Then we’ll do the full production in late September.

Technically, was “Platanos y Collard Greens” the company’s first production?

I don’t really call it the first production, but it was a co-production that kind of fell into my lap. Teresa Reynolds, when she lived in New York, was a part of this production for several years. And I saw it when it came to IUPUI almost 30 years ago.

[Treva Bostic, founder of Cultured Urban Winery in Anderson] decided they wanted to produce this play, and they reached out to Ophelia Wellington from Freetown Village saying, “We need a director.” She reached out to me, and I said, “I know the perfect person in Teresa.” I also knew they needed support, and I was working out the details for being able to take our content to other Indiana cities that have high Black populations. I looked at it as an opportunity to kind of figure out how we could do this traveling show. It was great, even with bumps in the road we got through.

By this time next year, I’m hoping to have other cities—probably Fort Wayne and Evansville, maybe Michigan City and Gary—all mapped out. When we do our original content that premieres in Indianapolis, we can take it to some of these other cities with at least 15,000 Black residents that don’t get the kind of cultural input we do here.

Does economy of scale have something to do with the roadshow concept?

It just made sense to figure out, “How do we extend the life of a contract for an actor?” Right now, somebody might do six weeks: three weeks’ worth of rehearsal, three weeks’ worth of shows, and generously they might make $2,500. Most of the time, it’s maybe $1,000, and these are on professional stages. A lot of these folks are working for free.

So if I can take somebody from a six-week contract and extend that into a two-month contract, and we’re doing weekends and they’re making that money, I can turn that into more like an $8,000 contract. That becomes so much more sustainable.

Then we can stop people from saying, “Hey, I need to move to L.A. I need to move to Chicago,” just so they discover that it’s not sustainable there, either. And it’s more expensive. Why not stay here, where you have friends, family and resources? My goal is for people in my company to be making $15,000 to $20,000 a year as the base of their salary. Instead of the creative being the supplemental, they’re looking at other things to be their supplemental income beyond that.

Is it correct that Indianapolis Black Theatre Co. is independent of The District Theatre—but related?

District Theatre did the wonderful thing, headed up by Brian Payne while he was at [Central Indiana Community Foundation], of raising money to start this as a resident theater within the District [Theatre] but also give it its autonomy.

They’ve helped me with the structure, in terms of getting the not-for-profit together and establishing all of that. Basically, they helped hold our hand at the beginning and gave us budgeting for the next three years. I will be able to focus on the creative and infrastructure more than fundraising.

I have not seen this done in our city at this level, so it’s really a gift.

When does the funding expire?

It’s more about when the money runs out. They raised $1.5 million. They hired me a little late in their process, but it’s basically meant to be budgeted out over a two- to three-year period. When people hear $1.5 million, they may say, “That’s a lot of money.” … It seems like a lot of money, but we’re trying to set up the infrastructure in a way that we can be more self-sustainable when that money runs out.

It can be said that there’s presently a renaissance in Black theater in Indianapolis, including Naptown African American Theatre Collective, Urban Musical Theatre Urban & KaidyDid Productions, OnyxFest and the Black Light training initiative that’s related to your company. What do these organizations mean to the city?

Part of our mission with IBTC is to work with other Black cultural organizations. … I was just in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” with the Naptown African American Theatre Collective. I think it’s important for us all to play together.

I got my first professional acting gig through Freetown Village. I’ve known Deborah Asante [of Asante Art Institute] for a long time. For me, it’s very important that these groups operate as a fabric and a network of resources, more than thinking of it as competition.

A lot of people said, “Why do we need two Black theaters in town?” I say, “We don’t. We need four or five.” I think the city sees how important it is because, as we grow and we get more tourists in and as we do more events, people want culture and experiences they can’t get in other places. If somebody’s coming from New York, they already have New York. They want to come here to see what’s different about a city in the Midwest.

Why did you pursue this role, and were you motivated by pitfalls or roadblocks in your own career?

It’s taken me a long time to come full circle with my creative career, especially in Indianapolis. I’ve left twice. I moved down to Atlanta for about three years. I lived out in the L.A. area for about a year and a half.

Mostly I left because I couldn’t access the types of resources or the opportunities in Indianapolis that I wanted to as a Black actor. I was doing lots of work at the Phoenix Theatre, but I didn’t have a degree in theater. So Beef & Boards and League of Resident Theatres spaces like the Indiana Repertory Theatre weren’t accessible to me.

And to be really transparent, being a lighter-skinned Black man affected accessibility. When you have institutions looking to put on “Black plays,” they want a certain type of Black person to be in certain types of productions. I was just really frustrated.

I also was early in the film industry in Indianapolis, when we didn’t have networks. Cameras and editing equipment were still very expensive. There wasn’t a lot of crossover between the acting world and the cinematographers in town. I saw things transform in other cities, but not here. I felt like I didn’t have a support system for understanding the business, even in terms of whether you join Equity or don’t join Equity.

On the whole business side, it was hit or miss, and I was making a lot of mistakes. There were productions that people enjoyed and appreciated, but it made me broke trying to put those things on. When I saw this opportunity, I saw it as a way to be in the driver’s seat and make decisions in how this structure would be formed—to benefit Black creatives more than anything.•

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police are investigating a serious crash on Indy’s near northwest side that sent at least four people to the hospital.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 1800 block of North Harding Street. That’s a residential area about three-tenths of a mile east of Riverside Park.

Police arrived at the intersection of 18th and Harding Streets and found a crash involving two cars and an IndyGo bus. The windshield of the IndyGo bus was ejected in the crash and was found, intact, several feet away.

IMPD says four people from one car were taken to the hospital with injuries.

“Upon further investigation, it was learned that the victim sustained injuries consistent with a gunshot wound, as well,” IMPD Public Information Officer Tommy Thompson said in a statement.

An IMPD crash investigator told News 8 that the only passenger on the IndyGo bus left the scene before emergency workers arrived. The bus driver was not hurt.

The people in the other car ran away, but it’s unclear why, the crash investigator told News 8’s Hernan Gutierrez.

Harding Street is closed in both directions between 16th Street/16Tech and 19th Street for investigation and cleanup.

This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.