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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 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's never too early to start talking about two-year-olds, right? The 2019 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks are more than ten months away, but we'll get an early, early look at potential Derby and Oaks contenders when Churchill Downs hosts the $125,000 Debutante Stakes and the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The Triple Crown is over, but don't expect ''Derby'' talk to go away anytime soon. The second half of the racing season is packed with rich Derbies in Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Virginia, to name just a few locations. First up is the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With the 2019 Triple Crown in our rearview mirrors, I thought we'd kick off the second half of the racing season with a different type of post than usual. Summer is just around the corner, and Saratoga is less than a month away, so the focus of racing fans will soon turn to ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's hard to believe another Triple Crown season has come and (practically) gone. The 2019 series wraps up on Saturday with the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, the highlight of a spectacular card that includes seven other Grade 1 events. Contrary to popular ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman There's no shortage of high-class racing action scheduled across the world this weekend. There's the Investec Derby (Eng-I) in England, the Yasuda Kinen (Jpn-I) in Japan, plus 35 assorted stakes races throughout North America... we won't run out of entertaining races to watch and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although this week's Unlocking Winners blog post is publishing before entries for the Memorial Day races are released, there's no shortage of quality Saturday stakes races worth handicapping. They might not the most prestigious events of the weekend, but I personally am intrigued by ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman From a sporting perspective, Saturday's $1.5 million Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico isn't particularly exciting. The first four horses to cross the finish line in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) are all skipping the Preakness, so for the first time since 1996, there won't be a Triple ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Five years ago, a stoutly-bred colt named Commissioner tried to pull off a gate-to-wire upset in the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park. Entering the final furlong, he was 1 ½ lengths in front, and victory in the third jewel of the Triple Crown seemed all but ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Before I dive into my annual marathon analysis of the Kentucky Derby, I should probably admit that my handicapping confidence has waned considerably with the scratch of Omaha Beach. The morning line favorite was my clear choice to win the roses—as confident a Derby selection as any ...