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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A dozen graded stakes are slated to take place across the country this week, including five important races at Santa Anita. The historic Santa Anita Handicap (G1) is the star of the show, but from a handicapping perspective, I'm more interested in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1). And ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The Road to the Kentucky Derby continues on Saturday with a pair of major prep races at Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn. Gulfstream's $300,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) is theoretically the most important of the pair, awarding 50 qualification points to the winner. But the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's safe to say winter weather has wreaked havoc on racing across the U.S. over the last 10 days or so. Countless cards have been called off, and the Southwest (G3)—originally scheduled for Feb. 15, then Feb. 20, then Feb. 21—has now been pushed off to Feb. 27. But at least the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Our quest to pick 50% winners in 2021 took some interesting twists last week, but at least we're still on the right track. Fifth-place efforts from Known Agenda and Greyes Creek impacted our win percentage, but a victory by Jouster saved the weekend and kept us ahead of the line at ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Happy February, everyone! January was a good month on Unlocking Winners. Victories from Greatest Honour in the Holy Bull (G3) and Medina Spirit in the Robert B. Lewis (G3) pushed my record for the year to 8-5-1-2 (62.5% winners, 100% in-the-money) with a return on investment of ...

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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman After a slightly rocky start, my stated goal of picking 50% winners on Unlocking Winners in 2021 is back on track. I must admit I breathed a sigh of relief after Colonel Liam and Knicks Go delivered as expected in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) and Pegasus World Cup (G1). This ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman We've all heard the phrase ''chalk-eating weasel'' to describe a horseplayer who isn't afraid to bet on favorites. It's a humorous term, and certainly I've been known to eat my fair share of chalk through the years. But ''chalk-eating weasel'' doesn't really capture how heavily ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman I'm sure it's happened to everyone. You handicap a race... you watch it unfold... and then you shrug and think to yourself, ''I had the right idea, but the wrong horse.'' Such was the case one year ago when I handicapped the Lecomte Stakes (G3), the first of three Road to ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman My quest to pick 50% winners in 2021 is right on track, albeit from a small sample size. The first week of 2021 kicked off on a frustrating note when Eagle Orb (1.85-1) settled for a distant runner-up effort in the Jerome Stakes. Fortunately, Life Is Good (0.20-1) turned things ...