Sale catalogs for the 2019 Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (ITOBA) Fall Mixed Sale are now available. The sale, set for Monday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m., will be held in the Receiving Barn at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

A total of 69 hip numbers have been assigned for entrants into the sale. A total of 52 yearlings are being auctioned off with 48 of those Indiana bred and/or sired. Justice Farm will offer 20 yearlings. Several of their yearlings are by Harry’s Holiday, who is selling his first crop as yearlings in 2019.

Harry’s Holiday competed in the 2014 Kentucky Derby and completed his career with earnings of nearly $200,000. The Harlan’s Holiday stallion is part of the Southern Indiana Equine lineup. Other Indiana stallions with yearlings in the sale include Sangaree, Pass Rush, and Lantana Mob. In addition to yearlings, three Indiana bred weanlings will be offered in the sale.

Duane Swingley, sale manager, will serve as the auctioneer for the sale while Tom Mosley will serve as the Pedigree Announcer. Horses included in the sale will be available for viewing on Sunday, Oct. 27. Catalogs are now available online at duaneswingleyauctioneers.com. For more information on the ITOBA Fall Mixed Sale, contact Swingley at (765) 212-8424.

A discussion regarding next week’s originally scheduled Hoosier Heritage Conference football game between Shelbyville and New Palestine remains a fluid situation as of Wednesday morning.

More details will be made available as the situation plays out Wednesday.  For now, New Palestine and Shelbyville athletic departments spoke Tuesday and, after discussions within the respective school's administrations, agreed to seek other opponents for Week 7, October 4.

New Palestine is the seventh ranked team overall in Indiana's Sagarin ratings and #2 in 5A behind Cathedral.  Meanwhile, Shelbyville has struggled in its rebuilding process and has just one touchdown scored while going 0-5 to begin the season.

As of Tuesday, New Palestine had another opponent that expressed interest in coming to New Pal for a game on October 4.  Shelbyville contacted North Decatur which, thanks to the ending of the Anderson Prep Academy football program this week, had an open date on the schedule.

The agreement to play between Shelbyville and North Decatur prompted the Chargers to issue a press release Tuesday night detailing the fact that they would play at McKeand Stadium against the Golden Bears next week.

However, entering Wednesday morning, New Pal’s possible other opponent now isn’t coming next week.  As of this report, the Dragons are without an opponent for the school's October 4th Homecoming. 

New Pal is attempting to contact school's with available dates.  If New Palestine does not find another opponent, Shelbyville will play at New Palestine in the regularly scheduled HHC game on October 4.

More on this story as it develops on GIANT fm Sports.

Landon Watson was Shelbyville's 2018 starting quarterback.  He would have been in 2019, as well.  But an injury in last season's Week 5 in the Golden Bears' win over Greenfield-Central changed that.

Watson looked back at the last year and ahead to his exciting future in a conversation with GIANT fm Sports.

After longshot Got Spirit ridden by Ezequiel Lara came across the finish line first in the final leg of the Pick 5 Tuesday, Sept. 17, a carryover ensued. A total of $17,997.34 will kick off the wager in the first race Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Indiana Grand.

Got Spirit, a first time starter for owner-trainer Ron Herrell paid $80.40, $30.40 and $9.60 across the board to spur the carryover for the Pick 5. First race post for Wednesday, Sept. 18 is 2:15 p.m.

Indiana DNR has reduced the County Bonus Antlerless Quotas (CBAQ) for deer hunting in the affected areas in southern Indiana to a maximum of two because of the effect of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) on the deer herd this year.

The CBAQ of counties that already have quotas of two or fewer will remain the same. The Special Antlerless Firearms Season is only allowed in counties marked in green on the CBAQ map. These counties previously had a county bonus antlerless quota of four, but were reduced to a maximum of two.

Humans are not at risk for contracting EHD.

EHD is a viral disease that may affect white-tailed deer to some degree every year. It typically occurs during late summer and early fall, and there is evidence that outbreaks can be more severe in years in which there is a wet spring followed by a hot, dry fall. EHD is transmitted by flies commonly known as biting midges, sand gnats, and “no-see-ums.”

EHD is often fatal to deer but some survive it. Not every deer in an affected area contracts EHD. One sign that a deer has contracted and survived EHD is that its hooves will show evidence of sloughing or breaking. As a result, the DNR asks that successful hunters use the After Hunt Survey (wildlife.IN.gov/9813.htm) to report the condition of their harvested deer’s hooves, including both normal hooves and hooves that show evidence of sloughing or breaking.

The DNR monitors for EHD annually. The most recent significant EHD outbreaks were in 2007 and 2012. Severe outbreaks rarely occur in consecutive years due to immunity from previous infections. EHD is not believed to have long-term impacts on the deer population.

The effects of the harvest and EHD will be evaluated after the hunting season. If necessary, additional changes will be made next year.

Anyone who finds a deer they suspect died of EHD is asked to file a report using the “Report a Dead or Sick Deer” form at deer.dnr.IN.gov.

More information on EHD and a map of the new CBAQ can be found at: wildlife.IN.gov/8541.htm

Blue River Sports Authority/Shelby County and Shelbyville have been selected by the Cross Country Coaches as hosts for the 2019 National Youth Championships.  The competition will take place Nov. 23, 2019 at the Blue River Cross Country Course in Shelbyville.

The event is expected to be a boon for the Shelbyville/Shelby County Community.

“We are very excited to partner with the Blue River Sports Authority in hosting the 2019 National Youth Championships,” Frank Miklavcic, Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships Meet Director said. “Blue River is an outstanding venue for cross-country, and I know competitors and their fans will be impressed with the facility. Blue River Sports Authority and Shelby County Tourism & Visitors Bureau stepped up to assist us with securing the venue, and we
appreciate all the effort invested by everyone involved”.

The proposal was coordinated by Gary Nolley, Vice President of the Blue River Sports Authority, which promotes recreational and competitive sports in Shelby County.

“We are excited and pleased the committee for the Cross Country Coaches Youth Championships selected our county, and our facilities to host this event. Over 2,200 athletes will come to Shelby County to participate in this national event”, states Nolley.

In addition to being a first-class facility, the course has 450 available rooms within two miles, and an additional 1200 within a 30-minute drive of Shelbyville, which was also a determining factor for the CCC committee.

“Blue River Sports Authority and Shelby County Tourism and Visitors’ Bureau are excited that the Cross Country Coaches Youth Championships selected the Blue River Cross Country Course at Blue River Memorial Park as the site for their National Championships. We’ve proven it before and we will prove again, our facilities are world-class, and not too many can treat officials and athletes as well as we do in Shelby County”, said Rachael Ackley, Executive Director of the Shelby County Tourism and Visitor’s Bureau and Blue River Sports Authority.

“Through the hard work of the board, especially Gary Nolley, a competitive bid was submitted in a very tight time-frame. We are confident that the Cross Country Coaches will find Shelbyville a perfect location, with all the amenities and hospitality the runners and officials deserve”.

“After our NCAA Regional Meet last year, word is getting out that this is a top-notch facility,” Nolley said. “This will be a great event for our Shelby County communities, and we will have a very busy city from November 22nd to the 24th."

Sports wagering has arrived in Southern Indiana. Caesars Entertainment opened its latest facility Thursday, Sept. 12 at Winner’s Circle Race, Sports, Pub Clarksville to serve the greater Louisville area, which will now offer wagering on all types of professional and college sports from football and basketball to golf in addition to the existing off-track horse betting facility.

More than 70 people were in attendance for the ribbon cutting of the new facility, which spans 23,000 square feet. Several special guests were in attendance including Senator Ron Grooms of District 46, which covers Floyd County and portions of Clark County. Other dignitaries in attendance included Sara Tait, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, Brad Baldini, general manager of Winner’s Circle Race, Sports Pub Clarksville, Kevin Baity, Clarksville Town Manager and Kyle Waggoner, vice president of hospitality for Indiana Grand Racing & Casino.

“Our friends in the Indiana General Assembly are the real reason today is a possibility,” said Waggoner. “Without their willingness to put together good public policy for the state of Indiana and passing a gaming bill that is forward thinking and progressive, sports betting would not be a possibility today.”

Waggoner went on to convey his appreciation for the team at Clarksville in preparing for the launch of the new sports book and noted Caesars Entertainment also opened “The Book” at Horseshoe Southern Indiana in Elizabethtown on Thursday.

“Next week’s opening of “The Book” at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing & Casino in Anderson, Ind. and a sports book at Winner’s Circle New Haven will bring Caesars Entertainment’s total to seven sports books taking bets across the state. Kentuckiana, you can now get off the sidelines and into the action.”