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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With just three weeks remaining until the Kentucky Derby, the last of the official prep races are scheduled to be run this Saturday, led by the $1 million Arkansas Derby (gr. I) at Oaklawn Park. Given the number of surprising results that we've seen on the Derby trail so far this ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Get ready, everyone! A tremendous day of racing awaits on April 8th, with fourteen graded stakes races scheduled to be run at Aqueduct, Keeneland, and Santa Anita. The lineup includes three major Kentucky Derby prep races, with the $1,000,000 Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) appearing to ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although the first of the 100-point Kentucky Derby prep races was held last Saturday (that being the UAE Derby in Dubai), the climax of the Kentucky Derby trail begins this weekend with the $1 million Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park and the $1 million Louisiana Derby (gr. ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman We're here, folks! After a long winter of anticipation, we are now just six weeks away from the Kentucky Derby, which means that the final round of prep races is about to begin. First up is the UAE Derby (UAE-II) on Saturday at Meydan, followed later in the day by the $500,000 Jack ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Good luck separating the contenders in the $900,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park! The 8.5-furlong race is the penultimate leg of Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby prep race series, and with such a large purse, the Rebel has drawn a field of eleven horses that look very competitive on ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman After a major rearranging of the Kentucky Derby picture last weekend, with heavy favorites Irish War Cry and El Areeb falling to defeat, racing fans will be holding their breath in anticipation for the two Derby prep races coming up this Saturday. While much of the attention will be ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The Road to the Kentucky Derby continues on Saturday with two major Derby prep races at Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park, including the $400,000 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II). We're reaching the point where every prep race has serious Derby implications, for major ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The road to the Kentucky Derby will get serious on Saturday when Fair Grounds hosts the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (gr. II), the first Derby prep race offering 50 qualification points to the winner. A total of fourteen promising three-year-olds have been entered in the 8.5-furlong ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman With some of this week's best races scheduled to be run on Presidents' Day, the racing action on Saturday will be a little quieter than usual. However, handicappers with an eye on the Kentucky Derby will still get to enjoy an intriguing renewal of the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Yet another exceptional weekend of racing is coming up on February 11th and 12th, with nine graded stakes races and an impressive group of smaller stakes races on the agenda. The race drawing the most attention is the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs (you can ...