BloodHorse.com

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks to a pair of early Kentucky Derby prep races at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, 2018 will kick off with a bang for racing fans. The highlight of this coming Saturday is the $100,000 Sham Stakes (gr. III) at Santa Anita, which offers a total of 17 Derby qualification points ...

Current Standings  Curlin08 1587 Keelerman 1485 Riskaverse 1372 MeyerhoffsMonster 1271 Van Horn 1240 Eric Rickard 1213 Standby Painter 1210 Charlotte 1208 Betty S 1170 Pal Ray 1167 Gary365 1150 Quinnbt ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The last weekend of racing in 2017 is a big one with 28 stakes races scheduled to be run across North America, including a trio of graded stakes events at Santa Anita. The highlight of the day is the $300,000 American Oaks (gr. I), the final Grade 1 race of the year, but the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With less than two weeks remaining in 2017, and with a quiet pre-Christmas weekend of racing ahead of us, now seems like as good a time as any to look over a few up-and-coming juveniles that could make some noise on the 2018 Road to the Kentucky Derby. Without further ado, here are ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman In my opinion, one of the most fascinating races coming up this weekend-at least from a handicapping perspective-is the $100,000 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park. The race has drawn nine horses, five of them graded stakes winners, but finding the winner could be ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Once in a while, a horse comes along and wins its debut with such authority and ease that you can't help but wonder if you've seen a superstar in the making. Such was the case when McKinzie cruised to victory in a seven-furlong maiden race on October 28th at ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The last Grade 1 race of the year for older horses is coming up this Saturday, that being the $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct. The prestigious race presents an interesting handicapping challenge, since the one-mile distance around one turn tends to attract a ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Starting today and continuing through Sunday, a total of 20 graded stakes races will be held across North America, which means that the post-Breeders' Cup lull is over at last. One of the highlights is the $500,000 Clark Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman This coming weekend of racing is a bit of a quiet one with not a lot of stakes action on the agenda, but the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar has attracted a promising-looking field containing several fillies that appear to have bright futures. Let's take a quick look at that ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Now that the 2017 Breeders' Cup is in the history books, it's time to turn our attention to the Triple Crown trail and start looking for up-and-coming contenders for the 2018 Kentucky Derby. Fortunately, there are several stakes races for two-year-olds scheduled for this weekend, ...