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Risen Star Stakes (G2) winner Girvin has put together past performances that hint at the combination of careful planning and needed adjustments required in Thoroughbred training. The large son of Tale of Ekati was given time to develop by trainer Joe Sharp before he was sent out for his career debut in December. After going back and ...

In fiscal year 2016, money wagered on California race cards was similar to the wagering total in FY2011, but compared with FY2011 California racetracks collected nearly $8 million less from the nearly identical betting total. The California Horse Racing Board's annual report released earlier this month documents the challenge racing faces as the ...

Sometimes it's worthwhile to just look at all the places the pari-mutuel dollar goes in racing. With that in mind, I've returned to the well-done California Horse Racing Board annual report for fiscal year 2015-16, which breaks down where every pari-mutuel wagering dollar goes in the state. Of the $2.9 billion wagered on California racing in the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The Road to the Kentucky Derby continues on Saturday with two major Derby prep races at Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park, including the $400,000 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II). We're reaching the point where every prep race has serious Derby implications, for major ...

Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, and into the '80s, the name Darby Dan Farm and the Galbreath family were synonymous with the Triple Crown, especially the Kentucky Derby. The names still resound in my brain, with several of them finding a way into my heart forever. If it wasn’t for one in particular I would not be writing this column or any ...

Many first-year students at the University of Kentucky feel the hair rise on the back of their necks when they hear the words “freshman English.” Back in the day the class often separated the wheat from the chaff while offering a series of writing challenges from descriptive essays to argumentative papers. In the fall of 1978, I chose to write why ...

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1 Irish War Cry Graham Motion Curlin—Irish Sovereign, by Polish Numbers It’s not as if he backed into the No. 1 spot, as in my mind he was ranked on equal terms with McCraken. Now he must earn the right to stay there. The big question is whether he will take back off the pace in the Fountain of Youth, and with the presence of Three Rules, ...

One year after Japanese-trained Lani started in all three Triple Crown races and earned a classic placing with a third in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (G1), the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and Belmont Stakes have rolled out welcome mats for Japan-based 3-year-olds. Churchill Downs, along with the Japan Racing ...

With Stewart Elliott being named the winner of this year’s prestigious George Woolf Award and with Smarty Jones’ birthday this coming Tuesday, it rekindled memories of those glorious five weeks in racing and Triple Crown history that will endure for as long as the sport’s great Cinderella stories are recalled. Here then is a behind-the-scenes ...