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''You can't explain much in 60 seconds, but when you show Michael Jordan, you don't have to. It's that simple.”  - Phil Knight, Chairman of Nike When we think of the face of NBA basketball, we may picture Michael Jordan. Maybe we think of Peyton Manning for football. Other faces of sport may include Dale Earnhardt, Tiger Woods, Babe Ruth, ...

With all the big preps and impressive winners, when you get right down to it, the only prep you can truly say was fast, and I mean fast fast, not just speed figure fast, was the San Vicente Stakes, run in 1:20 3/5. And with my belief that starting the year off in a sprint is old school and still the best way to sharpen a horse and prepare him ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The preparations began months ago, when the two-year-old racing began at Saratoga and Del Mar. Since then, I have watched hundreds of races and dozens of workout videos; I've analyzed an untold number of result charts; I've calculated the fractions of all the major Derby prep races; ...

They say to err is human; to forgive, divine. Well, why can’t that apply to horses as well? Here we have a field of Derby horses that as a whole is so baffling, with so many twists, turns, and angles, it can drive you batty.We have a plethora of horses, 16 to be exact, who are coming off a first, second, or third-place finish in their final prep. ...

Perhaps the oldest adage in Thoroughbred racing is pace makes the race. It may have even pre-dated George Smith, also known as famed horseplayer Pittsburg Phil, who is featured in the Blood-Horse 100th anniversary feature in this week’s print edition (see page 20). Snippets from Racing Maxims and Methods of Pittsburg Phil, edited and published by ...

1 Nyquist Doug O'Neill Uncle Mo—Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry Sometimes in a year like this you have to play defense, and he is the one horse in the race who can make you look foolish by going against him. Or is that offense? How do you justify going against an undefeated champion and four-time grade I winner and easy winner of the Florida ...

In 1992, Lil E. Tee finished second in the Arkansas Derby, after which he was equipped with a shadow roll for the Kentucky Derby by trainer Lyn Whiting. We all know how that decision turned out. Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, another Arkansas Derby runner-up is being equipped with a shadow roll in the Kentucky Derby.Trainer Donnie Von ...

With Venezuela once again invading the Kentucky Derby in the form of Grupo 7C Racing Stable, Gustavo Delgado, and Emisael Jaramillo, owner, trainer, and jockey, respectively, of Florida Derby runner-up Majesto, I thought this would be a good time to once again re-tell the remarkable story of Canonero, especially with today being the 45th ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Anyone that has ever played the trifecta or superfecta in the Kentucky Derby knows that finding live longshots is the key to hitting those bets. With two exceptions, every Kentucky Derby since 2001 has seen at least one horse at odds of 20-1 or higher finish in the superfecta, and ...