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Logic tells us that American Pharoah’s lightly raced career and pair of easy Derby preps at Oaklawn will be beneficial coming back in two weeks for the Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes (gr. I). That very well may be the case. It definitely makes sense, at least on the surface. There is no reason to think there isn’t enough gas left in the ...

If you build it, they will come. This philosophy espoused in the well-loved baseball fantasy movie “Field of Dreams” was the approach taken more than a year ago when owners were asked to pledge to publish the vet records for every horse they entered in a graded stakes. One hundred and thirty owners made this pledge. Their names are listed on the ...

Don't miss Cot's longform feature about Summer Squall, Dogwood Stable's first classic winner. The 1980s was a time when both Japanese tourists and business folk were beginning to venture forth into the world on a wide variety of missions. The Japanese are relatively well mannered and deferential today, but they were even more so then. They were ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman Attempting to predict the pace of a horse race can be challenging, especially when the horses involved are lightly-raced three-year-olds with versatility in running style. But when analyzing the potential pace scenarios for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), recent history shows that the pace of the ...

In 2011, the British Horseracing Authority adopted a new rule, in which a jockey in a flat race was not permitted to hit a horse more than seven times and no more than five times in the final furlong. The eighth whip would be an automatic breach of the rules and result in any one of a number of penalties. Despite the urging of animal rights ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman With the excitement of Kentucky Derby weekend behind us, and with the anticipation of Preakness weekend still to come, this Saturday offers racing fans a chance to relax and enjoy an intriguing day of racing that features seven graded stakes races in the U.S. and Canada. One of the major ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman The 141st running of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) (VIDEO) is in the record books, and already plans are being made by the connections of the Derby starters to determine where their horses will run next. To help dissect the performances of each horse, and help determine what impact their ...

The journey of a lifetime is often measured by the amount of obstacles one must overcome, and that is why American Pharoah’s thrilling victory in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) brought such a wave of raw emotion from the Zayat family, ranging from tears to unbounded jubilation. For the Zayats, who are deeply rooted in the ...