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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') As Saturday is a rather slow day for racing in the U.S., with only a trio of grade IIIs and a single grade II on the agenda, the attention of this blog post shall be focused across the waters in Ireland, where a spectacular eight-race card at Leopardstown is highlighted by an terrific renewal of the group I ...

Two days before September 11, 2001, my family and I were returning from Lexington, where we attended “John Henry Day” at the Kentucky Horse Park. As the plane flew along the Hudson River to Newark Airport, out the window we could see the World Trade Center set aglow by the setting sun. We all commented what a magnificent sight it was ...

Subdued optimism best sums up the tenor of the Keeneland September yearling sale’s opening session Sept. 8. Throughout much of the day, trade felt more like Book Three than Book One, lacking an undercurrent of excitement and anticipation that is often present when the best of the best are being sold. Not to say the market was soft or participants ...

With only one prep to go for all the Breeders’ Cup Classic hopefuls, and with a lull in the action, this seems like a good time to get an early glimpse at how the race might shape up and what each horse has to do to give him the best chance of winning and what he has to avoid. There is an old adage in advertising, which goes: “Sell the sizzle ...

With the retirement of Palace Malice, plenty of attention will be placed on this year’s 3-year-olds, starting with dual classic winner California Chrome and last year’s champion 2-year-old male Shared Belief, but there are still plenty of intriguing older horses pointing to, or at least possible, for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I).Two horses ...

Some people are driven by success and will take any path in order to achieve it. Then there are those fortunate few where success comes as the byproduct of following one’s lifelong passion. Treasures may await, but it is finding one’s true path that is the greatest treasure of all. Abigail Adsit is one of those fortunate few. Many little girls ...

The Grade 2 Super DerbyLouisiana Downs / September 6 / Race 11 / 5:12 CDT by TimeformUS Analyst Justin Finch Get started with FREE TimeformUS PPs for the Louisiana DerbyThe Grade 2, $400,000 Super Derby has a field of 11 three-year-olds running nine furlongs on the dirt. The field contains no Grade 1 winners, one Grade 2 winner, and two ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Believe it or not, when the first stakes races of the second annual Churchill Downs September meet are held this Saturday, the road to the 2015 Kentucky Derby will begin with the running of the $100,000 Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) for two-year-old colts and geldings. Sure, it’s a bit early to be talking about ...

Here’s Shared Belief poised to steal the show once again.After the Triple Crown, conventional wisdom had all but conceded 3-year-old male championship honors to California Chrome. The argument for draping a champion’s mantle across the withers of Lucky Pulpit’s son didn’t have many holes. A homebred for Perry Martin and Steve Coburn, California ...