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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman After months of waiting, racing has finally returned to Saratoga! The meet will begin on July 22nd and continue with a terrific card on July 23rd, led by two graded stakes races. We'll focus our attention on the Saturday card, starting with the Diana Stakes for fillies and mares. ...

Traditionally stakes races have been the benchmark of quality in Thoroughbred racing.Earnings are important, too, with the accepted criteria for ranking the leading sires year to year continuing to be the purse money earned by their progeny. But when assessing a horse’s status as an athlete or its potential to be a successful stallion or ...

As part of the Blood-Horse's 100th anniversary issue on Aug. 6, I have been asked to list (with links) my 15 favorite Hangin With Haskin blogs. This was an extremely difficult task, as it's like choosing which of your children you like the best. I am posting one of those blogs to introduce the upcoming “15 favorites” blog, which will be posted on ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman I hope you're ready for another great weekend of racing action! We've got an impressive slate of stakes races on the schedule, including the $750,000 Delaware Handicap (gr. I), and on Friday, the much-anticipated summer meet at Del Mar will begin. Plus, I've found a first-time ...

The more people I come in contact with the more I discover how many are not aware of the history of Saratoga. They love the ambiance, the beauty, and the overall feeling they get being there and can perhaps sense a small portion of the track’s and the city’s history. But few know the sheer depth of it.So, for those who are planning on visiting the ...

Those who say they’re retiring from Thoroughbreds are kidding themselves. The latest example of that came over the last few days with the news of the re-sale of Wimborne Farm near Paris, Ky., and its former owner, Diane Perkins, winning the Arlington Handicap (gr. IIIT) July 9 in Chicago with her homebred Kasaqui.Perkins was enjoying herself the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Get ready, everyone! We've got an absolutely stellar Saturday of racing coming up on July 9th, led by six graded stakes races at Belmont Park, four at Arlington Park, and a wide mix of other exciting races. Leading the way are the $1.25 million Belmont Derby (gr. I) and $1 million ...

Last week, it was reported that King Glorious had died in Japan at the age of 30, having been pensioned since 2010 due to declining fertility. This news likely was of interest only to a handful of racing fans who remembered the brief exploits of one of the fastest and classiest horses of the 1980s, and most notably his victory in the 1989 Haskell ...

The West Coast has applied a choke hold on the 3-year-old male division for the past three years, yet it annually continues to let its stars escape to Eastern climes without a fight following the Triple Crown series. Two years ago dual-classic winner California Chrome did not race in his namesake state between the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) in ...