Could Bayern be sitting on a career-best performance in Saturday's Preakness Stakes? J. Keeler Johnson analyzes the similarities between Bayern and Paynter, the runner-up in the 2012 Belmont Stakes....
Read More
Check back Saturday for Sunday stakes previews from Belmont Saturday Belmont, Race 9 G2 Peter Pan Stakes By Mike Beer A field of seven is set to enter the gate for the Grade 2 Peter Pan. They will go nine furlongs over Belmont's main track, and when all is said and done, one of these three-year-olds will be a newly minted graded stakes winner. Depending upon who that winner is and, perhaps, how impressive...
Read More
J. Keeler Johnson handicaps the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park....
Read More
J. Keeler Johnson handicaps the 140th Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I)....
Read More
J. Keeler Johnson shares his thoughts on three Kentucky Derby longshots that could finish in the superfecta at solid prices....
Read More
J. Keeler Johnson handicaps the Derby Trial Stakes (gr. III) and shares his "Kentucky Derby Top Five."...
Read More
On Saturday, Game On Dude returns to Charles Town to seek another victory in the Charles Town Classic (gr. II). Will he win?...
Read More
Will Bobby's Kitten stamp himself as a Kentucky Derby contender with a strong showing in the Blue Grass Stakes?...
Read More
This Saturday, Social Inclusion will make his much-anticipated stakes debut in the $1,000,000 Wood Memorial (gr. I) at Aqueduct, one of four grade I races for three-year-olds being run this weekend....
Read More
When the calendar pages turn to March, and the days slowly count down to the final Saturday of the month, the annual anticipation for one of the greatest days in horse racing begins to build....
Read More
The road to the Kentucky Derby heats up with the Spiral Stakes (gr. III) and Sunland Derby (gr. III) on March 22-23....
Read More
Saturday, Oaklawn, Race 10, Local Post Time 6:04pm CT The G2 Rebel Stakes , 1 and 1/16 miles, Dirt, 3YO By Robert Finnegan 85 more Kentucky Derby points are on the line in the Grade 2 Rebel, to be run at a mile and 1/16 on the main track. The morning line has this looking like a three-horse race, with Tapiture at 9-5, Strong Mandate at 2-1, Kobe's Back at 7-2, and the others all 8-1 or higher. However...
Read More
Strong Mandate could be sitting on a strong performance in the grade II Rebel Stakes this Saturday....
Read More
In what may go down as the race of the year, Saturday's Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) will feature a rematch between Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) 1-2 finishers Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge, with two-time defending Santa Anita Handicap champion Game On Dude shooting for an unprecedented three-peat in the historic race. Who will win the showdown?...
Read More
Saturday, Aqueduct, Race 9, Local Post Time 4:17pm ET The G3 Gotham Stakes , 1 and 1/16 miles, Dirt, 3YO By Jason Perlmutter With only nine weeks remaining until the first Saturday in May, Derby fever comes to the rough and tumble neighborhood of Ozone Park, New York, home of Aqueduct Racetrack. There, 11 three-year-olds will compete in the Grade 3 $500k Gotham, and a promising son of Noble Causeway...
Read More
Samraat, Uncle Sigh, and Havana are among the box-office stars entered to race in this week's Gotham Stakes (gr. III) and Swale Stakes (gr. II). But could they be overshadowed by the supporting cast?...
Read More
It's an age-old handicapping question--what do you do when the horse you like has drawn a poor post position?...
Read More
In discussing the Southwest Stakes (click for free Brisnet.com Ultimate PPs w/ comments ) with Steve Byk on his At The Races radio program Friday morning, I wondered whether fitness would be a factor for some entrants because of the lost training time this month at Oaklawn Park . Eleven of the dozen entrants are based at Oaklawn with the most recent works ranging from four days ago to three weeks ago...
Read More
When playing races or carryovers at tracks I normally don’t play, I try to lean on the Ultimate Race Summary found in the Brisnet.com Ultimate Past Performances , but the El Camino Real Derby (click for FREE PPs) on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields does not afford such a luxury because there has only been one 1 1/8-mile race so far this meeting at the Bay area track. A (free!) fallback is the At A Glance...
Read More
Sunday, Santa Anita, Race 5, Local Post Time 2:30pm PT The G2 San Vicente Stakes , 7 Furlongs, Dirt, 3YO By Jason Perlmutter The Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita features a field of six colts who have raced a combined 15 times in their burgeoning careers. This is the time of year when three-year-old thoroughbreds explode with regularity to career-top performances. In light of that, we will look for...
Read More
J. Keeler Johnson joins the Unlocking Winners blog and looks at Alpha's chances on the grass in the Feb. 15 Mac Diarmida Stakes....
Read More
One of the common misconceptions is that it is too early to wager on the Kentucky Derby....
Read More
Saturday, Gulfstream, Race 10, Local Post Time 5:03pm ET The G2 Holy Bull Stakes , 1 and 1/16 Miles, Dirt, 3YO By Douglas Salvatore The Holy Bull is without question the deepest Kentucky Derby prep race to date. It includes a fascinating field of eleven led by 3/1 morning line favorite Cairo Prince. • FREE TimeformUS PPs for the Holy Bull Stakes • A Special Offer on Unlimited PPs for Bloodhorse Readers...
Read More
Monday, Oaklawn, Race 8, Local Post Time 4:38pm CT The Smarty Jones Stakes , 1 mile, Dirt, 3YO By Douglas Salvatore The TimeformUS Pace Projector indicates this year’s edition of the Smarty Jones Stakes will be run at a fast and contested pace. • TimeformUS PPs for the Smarty Jones Stakes • A Special Offer on Unlimited PPs for Bloodhorse Readers That makes #2 Whyruawesome (12/1 Morning Line) the horse...
Read More
It's rare that I make a full (every entry) fair odds analysis for a race outside a seven-figure Grade 1 race, but I felt compelled to do so for the Jerome Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct (click for FREE Brisnet.com Ultimate PPs ) because of the presence of a clear favorite/most likely winner who doesn't have to win. In addition to the $200,000 purse, at stake in this stakes for three-year-olds is 17...
Read More
