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On September 23, the grade 2 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park will be the main event of the day, standing alone for the first time, rather than lost in the morass of grade 1 stakes that used to be known as Breeders’ Cup Preview Day. That may seem to have little or no significance to anyone, but it actually gives a great deal more exposure and ...

We could sense it from the moment we opened the doors to the Keeneland sales pavilion for Book 1 of the September yearling sale. While the feeling wasn’t exactly the crackling, electric atmosphere of the old days of the July yearling sales in the 1980s or of certain nights when the power of suggestion takes over at Saratoga at the Humphrey S. ...

Having been involved in horse racing for 50 years, 48 of them professionally, I naturally have amassed many memories, from the magnificent champions to the spectacular and heart-pounding victories. Witnessing the grace, power, brilliance, and most of all courage of the Thoroughbred is a gift that should be cherished. But there is one aspect ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman When it comes to competitive racing on turf, it's hard to beat Kentucky Downs. The unique Kentucky track hosts a brief all-turf meet every September featuring large purses and huge fields; it's not uncommon to see races draw a full fields of twelve, plus four ...

Winning a grade 1 event with a juvenile is no small feat. For the same connections to win the same race three times in the span of nine years means there’s more at play than happenstance. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and owners Robert Baker and William Mack turned the triple Sept. 4 at Saratoga when their Sporting Chance beneath Luis Saez ...

By: Erin Shea, @BH_EShea Georgia Keogh was pleasantly surprised in 2015 when her father James Keogh, who owns Grovendale, casually mentioned he had a horse arriving for her one day. When the gray gelding got off the trailer, Keogh was immediately enamored with the son of Giacomo, who caught her father's eye two years earlier at ...

By: Erin Shea, @BH_ESheaThe Retired Racehorse Project released data this month on its 509 off-track Thoroughbred entrants for the upcoming Thoroughbred Makeover presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America Oct. 5-8 at the Kentucky Horse Park. RRP's Steuart Pittman said the 500 horses are representative of the larger population of U.S. ...

As money from added gaming has flowed into the industry, providing a boost for purses, most racetracks have missed a golden opportunity to fully take advantage of the stability provided by that added revenue by trying new approaches-namely lowering prices--with their pari-mutuel product. With that new revenue from added gaming ...

West Coast, Irap, and Tapwrit still need another big victory. Oscar Performance could jump in from the grass category and snatch it away, but needs to beat older horses at 1 1/2 miles. Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing have self destructed following their classic victories. Classic Empire looks as if he needs time to totally ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman How fast the summer has flown by! Believe it or not, this weekend will bring the Saratoga and Del Mar meets to a close, but fortunately for racing fans, the two tracks will go out in a burst of excitement with many top-notch graded stakes races scheduled to be run. There are actually ...