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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman On Saturday, Penn National will host an exciting day of racing led by four stakes races, including the $500,000 Penn Mile (gr. III). I'll be the first to admit that I have a soft spot for the Penn Mile, a one-mile turf race for three-year-olds that has drawn strong fields of talented ...

Once upon a time, not long ago (actually, only three months ago), Twin Creeks Racing Stables had a hot prospect for the Kentucky Derby named Destin. Having a Derby contender was nothing new to Twin Creeks, which is owned by Randy Gullatt, a one-time aspiring trainer, and Steve Davison, who has always enjoyed putting a bob or two on the ...

Hanging on a wall at home is one of my most prized possessions. A gift from the late racing photographer Michael J. Martin, the framed print is of the field of the 1990 Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) turning for home at Belmont Park. On the lead is the 3-year-old Housebuster, Robert Levy’s homebred who would be named champion sprinter of 1990 and ...

Sometimes I like to devote this space to the racing fans who pour so much passion into the sport or a particular horse. With the Belmont Stakes coming up, there will be a mother and her young daughter who will be cheering wildly for Suddenbreakingnews even though they’ve never seen him in the flesh and have no personal connection to him. It was ...

When I first heard the idea behind the new $12 million Pegasus World Cup, the brainchild of Frank Stronach, I thought it was one of the worst ideas ever. After all, who would put up $1 million to run in a horse race in late January, and furthermore, who would put up $1 million to run against California Chrome, who, remarkably, already is committed ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With just over two weeks remaining until the Belmont Stakes, I thought now might be a good time to take an early look at the third leg of the Triple Crown to see how the race might unfold, and try to identify which horses will have the best chance of winning. Although the ...

Hospitality and the overall experience at Pimlico Race Course the week of the Preakness Stakes are always topics of conversation, in a good way. It has become a tradition—and even the slightest change appears to get noticed.During the May 19 Alibi Breakfast in the Pimlico clubhouse, trainer Bob Baffert, who loves coming for the Preakness, ...

Did you ever have a recurring dream that you were chasing someone or some thing and just as you were about to catch it you woke up?Well, trainer Keith Desormeaux has had that same dream since last June when he started chasing Nyquist. Each time he would get closer, whether with Swipe or Exaggerator, but would always wake up to the harsh ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman In many cases, handicapping a horse race involves analyzing the speed and talent of each horse and trying to project how the race will be run. Will the pace be fast and favor deep closers? Will a talented front-runner take command through easy pace fractions and never look back? ...