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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman On this quiet weekend of racing in North America, we'll turn our attention internationally to focus on the November 24 Japan Cup (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan, unquestionably the most prestigious race taking place anywhere in the world this week. With a purse in excess ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman When a handful of lightly-raced juveniles head to the Del Mar starting gate for Saturday's $100,00 Bob Hope Stakes (G3) at Del Mar, racing fans and handicappers will widely expect trainer Bob Baffert to saddle the winner. The Hall of Fame conditioner has won the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's shaping up to be a quiet weekend for racing in North America, not surprising after the all-out excitement of the November 1-2 Breeders' Cup World Championships. And since final entries and post positions have yet to be drawn for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (G1) in Japan, you can ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's an exciting time for racing fans! The 2019 Breeders' Cup World Championships will be held on November 1-2 at Santa Anita, with talented horses from around the globe vying for victory in fourteen rich races. Dirt and grass, sprints and routes, fillies and mares, colts and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Pre-entries for the 2019 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita were released on October 23, prompting handicappers from around the globe to start perusing the prospective fields and formulating early opinions on the competitive races. While I'm still going over the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With the 2019 Breeders' Cup heading to Santa Anita Park, one of the key factors for handicappers to consider is how the slow and tiring main track will affect the outcome of the championship races. The track has received a lot of attention and maintenance in recent months, stemming ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With just three weeks remaining until the 2019 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita, I was tempted to kick off coverage of the much-anticipated championship event with an early look at the major players in each race. But then I saw the field for Saturday's $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Having come down with an annoying cold this week, I should preface my analysis of Saturday's $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (gr. I) with the disclaimer that my handicapping will either be very good or very bad—nowhere in the middle. If my handicapping reflects how I feel ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A tremendous week of horse racing lies ahead at tracks across the globe. Eight ''Win and You're In'' qualifiers for the Breeders' Cup are on the agenda, plus three Kentucky Derby prep races in California and Europe. For passionate fans of the sport, it's going to be an unforgettable ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With a purse of $1 million, Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby (gr. I) at Parx Racing has attracted some of the best three-year-olds currently in training. ''Currently,'' of course, is the key word, since many of the division leaders (Country House, Sir Winston, Game Winner, and now ...