BloodHorse.com

The front-page news of the week is the decision of Churchill Downs to nix patrons at the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Churchill officials—with a calculated best guess—took their best shot back in March in moving the Run for the Roses from May 2 to Sept. 5. However, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pour cold water over large ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The title of this week's post has multiple meanings. If you've examined the field for Saturday's Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) at Del Mar, then you might already know which filly I'm keen to play. But the title is also a reference to my opinion of Saturday's prestigious Pacific ...

BloodHorse’s annual “Summer Sales Guide,” like most everything else in this crazy, mixed-up world in 2020, was kicked down the road to the “Yearling Sales Guide.” Our team has worked hard to present some valuable statistics, intel, and insight as the industry readies to transition to conducting some serious commerce. How will the market perform ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman I must admit, one of my favorite races to handicap each year is the $500,000 Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. The 1 1/4-mile distance is unique among major dirt races for 3-year-old fillies, making the Alabama a fascinating test of both speed and stamina. Of course, picking ...

For Thoroughbred racing these are anything but the dog days of summer. The three grade 1 races at Saratoga Aug. 8 delivered monster performances; each effort seemingly trumping the next. The following day at Ellis Park in Western Kentucky, which hosted the Runhappy Ellis Park Derby and four other stakes, the racing was as high-quality as the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The extended 2019-20 Road to the Kentucky Derby continues its path through uncharted waters with the running of Saratoga's historic $1 million Travers (G1) on Saturday. The 1 1/4-mile ''Midsummer Derby'' has attracted a strong field as usual, with heralded Kentucky ...

Even before the pandemic we knew it took a certain sense of humor to understand the business of the Thoroughbred industry. Attempting to read the tea leaves in 2020 outside in the “real” business world isn’t easy. As corporations have released their second-quarter earnings reports over the last few weeks, there have been some alarming figures. ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although Saratoga figures to attract most of the attention this week thanks to its stakes-packed Saturday card, I would be remiss for failing to highlight the excellent day of racing Del Mar has assembled for the same afternoon. Eleven races are on the agenda, and there's something ...

Maximum Security’s nose score in the July 25 San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar was a “comeback” win of sorts. The star-crossed 4-year-old’s victory in Southern California was his first for new trainer Bob Baffert,  replacing Jason Servis, who has been charged with administering performance-enhancing drugs in a sweeping doping scandal that ...