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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman On Saturday, Laurel Park will play host to a fantastic day of racing that includes six stakes races, highlighted by the $350,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash. A six-furlong sprint that serves as a sort of consolation prize for horses that didn’t win or run in the Breeders’ Cup ...

I have been known to break promises before, so when I said my last column on American Pharoah would be my last on the Triple Crown winner you didn’t really believe me, did you? I had actually intended to keep that promise until the recent announcement that the colt is among the 12 finalists for Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year ...

Several years ago during Kentucky Derby week, I wrote a small segment in my column about Iraqi War veteran Chris Simonds and his special Derby dream. To honor Simonds, who was awarded the Purple Heart, and all veterans, I felt this was the perfect time to expand, update and re-tell Simonds’ story, as well as the effect American Pharoah had on him ...

The commercial markets are generally trending upward, but the selectivity of the market will continue to cause heartburn for a lot of breeders. If a horse isn’t “ticking all the boxes,” then buyers are apparently more inclined to walk away than take a chance.One symptom of a selective market is a rising buy-back rate, which we are seeing at the ...

With NBC televising a special on American Pharoah's Kentucky Derby on May 2 I thought it would be a good time to reprint one of my favorite columns that appeared in 2015. That was my last Kentucky Derby after providing lead coverage for Daily Racing Form and Blood-Horse for 23 years. There were many memorable moments, but none quite as special as ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With another spectacular and memorable renewal of the Breeders’ Cup in the history books, the calendar pages have turned to November, the clocks have gone back an hour, and Thanksgiving is practically right around the corner. This can only mean one thing… it’s time to get started on the ...

There is a method to the madness that follows in the next several paragraphs. You just have to bear with me and my indulgences for a short while. For the past five decades, I have witnessed live many of racing’s historic moments, from Triple Crowns to Breeders’ Cups to record-breaking performances to memorable stretch battles to arch ...

Eyebrows rose in August 2014 after Breeders' Cup announced the 2015 World Championships would be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington. Many wondered how a racetrack with an attendance record of nearly 40,700 was going to host an international event that had drawn more than 65,000 at other venues in the past. The worst was expected regarding ...

With a police escort, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was transported by a Brook Ledge van from Keeneland to Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky., where he will begin his stud career. Bob, Jill and Bode Baffert also were in the entourage along with Jimmy Barnes, Eduardo Luna, Jorge Alvarez and others. Barnes walked the champ off the van and ...