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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Five-horse fields aren't typically considered by handicappers to make great betting races. It's hard to find a price in small fields, so the surest bet of the week is that many bettors will pass on playing Saturday's $100,000 Native Diver (G3) at Del Mar. But in my opinion, ...

There sure have been a lot of hurdles to 2020. Some have been man-made—presidential politics—and most have been natural—a global, once-in-a-century pandemic tops the list. It’s human nature to attempt to keep things normal, but this year the more we try, the stranger it just all seems. Holding the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.—a ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The 2020 Breeders' Cup is in the history books, which means it's time to turn our attention toward the 2021 Kentucky Derby. We've already seen some promising Kentucky Derby contenders in action, including the undefeated Godolphin homebred Essential Quality, winner of the Breeders' ...

With Breeders’ Cup-winning 2-year-olds Essential Quality and Aunt Pearl, trainer Brad Cox figures to be spending a lot of time thinking about the future in the days ahead, but his record-tying four-win performance at this year’s Breeders’ Cup most assuredly also celebrates his recent past. When Monomoy Girl launched a sweeping move to win the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's an exciting time for racing fans! In a year turned upside down due to COVID-19, it's reassuring to see the Breeders' Cup World Championships taking place as scheduled on Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland, with talented horses from around the globe vying for victory in 14 rich races. In my ...

All sports have had to adapt on the fly since mid-March as COVID-19 caused closures, shutdowns, and lockdowns around the globe. Professional sports rely on attendance—and food and beverage service—as a revenue stream, and with that component missing or greatly reduced, along with lower ratings on television/streaming services, not every venture ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Pre-entries for the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup were released on Wednesday, with final fields due to be drawn on Monday. After taking a day to review the prospective fields for the 14 championship events, here are a few of the first handicapping thoughts to cross my mind: Brad Cox ...

The news cycle in the Thoroughbred business moves like an opening quarter-mile in :21 and change this time of year. In the past two weeks we’ve been inundated with announcements from nearly all of the stallion operations with new deals for the incoming class of 2021 as well as the fees for the coming season—most of them having been reduced due to ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Two weeks out from the Breeders' Cup, we'll take a brief respite from analyzing prospective fields and instead turn our attention to a pair of intriguing races on the immediate horizon. An allowance race at Keeneland and the Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine have captured my attention. ...