BloodHorse.com

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The $500,000 Champagne S. (G1) at Belmont at the Big A is a fascinating race from a historical perspective. The one-mile event has long ranked among the nation's most prestigious prizes for juveniles, and through the years it's produced 23 Kentucky Derby winners. Triple Crown ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing has been drawing strong fields for years, and its rise to Grade 1 status has only strengthened its position as a key Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) prep for elite members of the three-year-old division. Saturday's renewal of the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman How time flies! It's hard to believe, but the 2022-23 Road to the Kentucky Derby is about to begin. The first official stop on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail is Saturday's $300,000 Iroquois S. (G3) on opening day of the Churchill Downs September meet. Inaugurated 1982, the Iroquois ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A rich afternoon of high-class racing is taking place on Saturday at Kentucky Downs. Five rich stakes are on the agenda, and rather than focus on just one, we're taking a quick look at all five: Race 8: Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. (G3) #1 Dalika (2-1) is the morning line ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A pair of prestigious ''Win and You're In'' qualifiers for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) are taking place at opposite ends of the country this Saturday. Let's dive in and handicap both races: Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar Any analysis of the Pacific Classic must begin with the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Get ready, racing fans! Half a dozen graded stakes are slated to take place on Saturday at Saratoga, including a quintet of Grade 1 prizes led by the prestigious $1.25 million Travers S. (G1). Rather than handicap just one of these star-studded events, let's take quick looks at ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The feature race on Saturday at Saratoga is the $600,000 Alabama S. (G1), one of the most important events in the country for three-year-old fillies. The historic race is contested over 1 1/4 miles on dirt, which is an uncommon distance for sophomore fillies to tackle. But the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Racing fans bid farewell to Arlington Park following the 2021 race meet, but Arlington's most prestigious races—the Arlington Million (G1) and the Beverly D. S. (G1)—are living on at Churchill Downs. Churchill Downs doesn't typically race in August, but a rare (maybe ...