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The year has been an interesting one so far, don’t you think? Despite a myriad of concerns for the Thoroughbred breeding and racing community, one relatively esoteric issue has come to mind: North America’s stakes schedule for the second half of 2020. Without racing since about mid-March in most of the country, the racing programs in New York, ...

There are times when a horse deserves to have his accomplishments recognized even if no one has heard of him or even cares to read about him. So, although most people will pass right over this, I still feel compelled to write about True Knight and at least have his name in the archives. True Knight was far from the swiftest horse, coming from ...

With NBC continuing its trip down memory lane by showing American Pharoah's 2015 Preakness Stakes (G1) May 16, I thought we'd also take a trip down memory lane by going behind the scenes of all three Triple Crown races and showcasing some of the more memorable moments. American Pharoah's journey to possible superstardom began in earnest one ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman If you check out the North American stakes schedule for this weekend, you might come away thinking, ''there's not much going on this week.'' Only a handful of ungraded stakes races are on the agenda, and there isn't a single graded stakes race to be found. But wait—there's good ...

Advised to hold our breath, the industry let out a collective sigh of relief last Thursday as Maryland Bill SB987 officially passed into law. The bill, the ''Racing and Community Act of 2020,'' which authorizes up to $375 million in bonds for redeveloping Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, had passed March 18—or ''PC,'' pre-COVID-19—but had the ...

Purses in the United States as reported in the monthly Thoroughbred Economic Indicators were down 79.64% from a year ago for the month of April alone, and year-to-date purses are off 28.85%. That’s to be expected these days with the majority of tracks having been closed since the end of March due to COVID-19 concerns. That also means there ...

In continuing with my Triple Crown memories, I am reprinting one of my favorite columns written after California Chrome's Kentucky Derby, as I feel it sums up the Cinderella story behind the horse as well as the dreams of all those who own horses. The 2014 Kentucky Derby was about dreams and fate, an improbable hero from humble parentage, ...

Looking back at my Triple Crown memories, one of the special ones was in 1997 when 
I flew to Louisville from New York about a week before the Belmont Stakes (G1) after making arrangements to fly back to New York with Silver Charm on his quest to become the first Triple Crown winner in 19 years. The plan was to fly there to watch Silver ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman In a normal year, we would be busily rehashing the results of the Kentucky Derby right now while simultaneously looking ahead to the Preakness Stakes. Instead, we're in the midst of a lull on the racing calendar with only one North American stakes race on the agenda. So let's take ...

I would like to prepare all Zenyatta fans for the possibility that a son of Blame could win the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) this year. Not only that, he (Nadal) could defeat a horse trained by John Shirreffs (Honor A.P.). My request to all impassioned Zenyatta fans is this: Go to YouTube and watch the 2010 Breeders’ Cup ...