Horseshoe Indianapolis celebrated a special day honoring all veterans Friday, Nov. 11. Each race on the Veteran’s Day 10-race program was named in honor of team members and their families who have served in the military.
The day also included a Veteran’s Day Pick 5 Challenge with 11 handicappers from across the nation donating their time to place $250 wagers on the Pick 5. Five handicappers hit the Pick 5, raising a total of $1,512.50 for Hoosier Veterans and Families Inc. (HVAF) of Indiana.
To assist with the efforts of honoring veterans, the jockeys at Horseshoe Indianapolis came together to purchase peanut butter for the HVAF food pantry, which serves as a crucial food source for many homeless veterans in Central Indiana. The jockeys collected 84 jars of the sought-after item, which totaled 210 pounds.
“This is a great way for us to get involved with the community,” said Jockey Gage Holmes, who is on her way to the Leading Apprentice title in Indiana this season. “We’ve done a couple of fundraisers so far this year, and we are collecting toys right now for the kids in this area.”
Several of the jockeys came down for the presentation, surrounding the jars of peanut butter. Jimmy McNerney, on-air racing personality, made the presentation. Available for the photo included Holmes, Thiago Canuto, Sammy Bermudez, Joshua Morales, Santo Sanjur, Fernando De La Cruz, Eddie Perez, Roimes Chirinos, and three-time leading rider at Horseshoe Indianapolis Marcelino Pedroza Jr.
“It’s always good to help people and when we heard they really needed a supply of peanut butter, it’s never a problem for us to help out,” said Pedroza, who is currently leading the standings once again this season en route to his fourth leading rider title. “I grew up like that. My family always made sure I knew it was important to help out. Hopefully, I can keep doing it anytime I can.”
The 20th season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Wednesday, Nov. 23. Live racing is conducted at 2:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday with Thursday post times set for 2:10 p.m. A total of 12 Saturdays will feature live racing in 2022 highlighted by the 28th running of the Grade 3 $300,000 Indiana Derby and the 27th running of the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks set for Saturday, July 9. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.
