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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Get ready! The 2023-24 Road to the Kentucky Derby gets underway this Saturday with the running of the $300,000 Iroquois S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. If it feels like we're standing on the precipice of something exciting, that's because we are. Next year marks the 150th running of ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Pretty much every year, or so it seems, the $1.7 million Kentucky Turf Cup (G2) at Kentucky Downs manages to defy expectations. Maybe it's the rich purse, which annually attracts a large and competitive field. Maybe it's the race conditions: 1 1/2 miles over an undulating ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Through the years, the $1 million Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar has been won by some of the best horses in racing. Just look at the last decade of winners: champions Shared Belief (2014), Beholder (2015), California Chrome (2016), Accelerate (2018), Maximum Security (2020), and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Saturday's running of the $1.25 million Travers S. (G1) at Saratoga is one for the ages. The Kentucky Derby (G1), Preakness S. (G1), and Belmont S. (G1) winners are lining up against the reigning champion two-year-old male, with three other stakes winners (including a Grade 1 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The $600,000 Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga is often a predictable race. Seven of the last 10 editions have been won by favorites starting at odds of 1.75-1 or less. But once in a while, something unexpected happens. Like in 2018, when 9-1 longshot Eskimo Kisses launched a ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The 1 1/4-mile $1 million Arlington Million (G1) and the 1 3/16-mile $500,000 Beverly D. Stakes (G1) long ranked as the highlights of the summer racing season at Arlington Park. When Arlington closed down following the 2021 meet, the two races transitioned to Churchill Downs and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The road to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) takes a fascinating turn this Saturday with the running of the $1 million Whitney S. (G1) at Saratoga. Fascinating, because the 1 1/8-mile race could change the entire Breeders' Cup Classic picture in less than two minutes. Held over 1 1/8 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The $500,000 Jim Dandy S. (G2) at Saratoga boasts an impressive roster of recent winners. Epicenter (2022) and Essential Quality (2021) went on to win Saratoga's Travers S. (G1) and earn champion three-year-old male honors at the Eclipse Awards. Mystic Guide (2020) eventually won a ...