BloodHorse.com

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman You have to give the New York Racing Association some credit. By inaugurating three new stakes races worth a combined $2.05 million and scheduling them for Saturday, September 7, they've taken a typically quiet post-Labor Day racing weekend and turned it into a can't-miss showpiece ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The final Saturday of the 2019 Saratoga meet brings another action-packed card featuring four graded stakes races, including the $750,000 Woodward Stakes (gr. I). The 1 1/8-mile Woodward has been overshadowed in recent years by Saratoga's similar Whitney Stakes (gr. I) held four ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman In analyzing the field for Saturday's $1.25 million Travers Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga, I'm struck not only by the lack of division leaders entered in this 1 ¼-mile race, but also by the extraordinary lack of speed horses in the mix. The three classic winners of 2019—Country House, ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Classic stamina will be on display this Saturday when three-year-old fillies negotiate 1 ¼ miles in the $600,000 Alabama Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga and older males tackle the same distance in the $1,000,000 Pacific Classic (gr. I). I'm eager to oppose the morning line favorites, so ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman John Henry. Manila. Paradise Creek. Gio Ponti. Some mighty fine turf horses have won the $1 million Arlington Million (gr. I) through the years, and if #3 Bricks and Mortar runs as I expect he will in Saturday's renewal of the 1 ¼-mile race, his name might eventually rank among the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Another Saturday at Saratoga brings another stakes-packed card led by the Whitney Stakes (gr. I) and the Test Stakes (gr. I), two prestigious Grade 1 events that could ultimately help settle wide-open Eclipse Award divisions. Both races look competitive on paper, and I'm optimistic ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Heading into this week, my tentative plan was to analyze the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga for today's column. But the race came up short on entries, and after handicapping the half-dozen runners, I landed on the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Tacitus as my top ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Saturday, July 20th will be a busy day of racing across North America, with plenty of action to keep an eye on at Saratoga and Del Mar. But by far the most anticipated race of the weekend is the $1 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) at Monmouth Park. This 1 1/8-mile race will pit ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Who's ready for another summer of high-class racing at Saratoga? The much-anticipated 2019 summer meet kicked off earlier today, and the first Saturday of the meet will feature a couple of prominent graded stakes races. The fields might be small, but this is Saratoga, and upsets ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Happy Independence Day! One of the best races on this upcoming holiday weekend is the $700,000 Belmont Oaks (gr. I) at Belmont Park, a 1 ¼-mile turf test that has attracted a high-quality field of nine three-year-old fillies. When I first examined the field, a key question ...