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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman You know the Kentucky Derby is almost here when the entries are out for opening day at Churchill Downs, which will be held this Saturday. An exciting eleven-race card is on schedule, with the highlight being the $100,000 William Walker Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for three-year-olds that ...

International Star - Photo by Hodges Photography Just think if some healthy chatter on social media was going on this week about which post position the connections of International Star should choose with the first post position pick for this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). And additional talk could follow on where the ...

1 American Pharoah Bob Baffert Pioneerof the Nile—Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman He shipped to Churchill right after the Arkansas Derby, so he will have a good deal of training over the track, much more so than Dortmund who will arrive April 26, not that it will make a whole lot of difference in the long run. Looking again at his ...

The crowd packed into a hotel lounge off State Road 40 on the outskirts of Ocala, Fla., the afternoon of May 5, 1990, buzzed about Florida’s horse in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I).No mint juleps here. And no big hats with flowing ribbons floating high above spike heels, or sharp-dressed gents with fedoras chewing on fat Rocky Patel cigars. These were ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Question: What do Commanding Curve, Golden Soul, Went the Day Well, Make Music for Me, Mine That Bird, Denis of Cork, Imawildandcrazyguy, Jazil, Giacomo, and Don’t Get Mad all have in common? If you answered ''They all finished in the Kentucky Derby superfecta at gigantic odds,'' you are correct—each of the ...

Peter Beagle wrote in The Last Unicorn, “Great heroes need great sorrow and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.”Kiaran McLaughlin has always been a hero to his daughter Erin for his hard work and dedication to the sport that has encompassed his entire life. But it took the “great sorrow and burden” of ...

California trainer Bob Baffert appears to have the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) favorite in his barn for the third time since 2000. The remarkably easy eight-length win April 11 by American Pharoah in the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) gave the son of Pioneerof the Nile his fourth consecutive graded stakes victory since last September. ...

    >Go to the TimeformUS PPs for the Elkhorn Stakes / Post Time 5:13 EDT By TimeformUS Analyst Mike Beer Keeneland will host the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes, purse $250k, for the 30th time on Saturday. Set for 1 1/2 miles on the grass, it has pulled a field of 11 and will be run as Race 9 on a 10-race card.On the TimeformUS Pace ...

I suppose most of us in the Thoroughbred racing game have permitted our hearts to rule our heads on occasion. If our hearts were not influential factors in our make-ups, we would probably be pursuing some other enterprise. The case of Pipedreamer comes to mind. He was one of my favorite horses. I saw him first at Royal Ascot, where he was one of ...

On April 18th, the racing world will turn its attention to Charles Town racetrack in West Virginia, where the $1,500,000 Charles Town Classic (gr. II) is the highlight of a thirteen-race card featuring eight stakes races. The star of the show will be Shared Belief, whose seemingly unlimited potential and accomplishments thus far have placed him ...