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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman On Saturday, the third of Aqueduct's four Kentucky Derby prep races of 2016 will be held, that being the $400,000 Gotham Stakes (gr. III). The 8.5-furlong race has drawn an exceptional field of eight evenly-matched rivals-let's take a look at the entries! #HorseJockeyTrainerLast ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman When it comes to handicapping races, six-horse fields aren't usually very hard to analyze, but the $400,000 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) on Saturday at Gulfstream Park could prove to be an exception. The second of three official Kentucky Derby prep races being held ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although this weekend is a relatively quiet one in terms of major racing action, racing fans will nevertheless be treated to a stellar renewal of the $400,000 Veterans Ford Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) at Fair Grounds, the first Kentucky Derby prep race of the year that will offer ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although it offers no qualification points for the Kentucky Derby, the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) at Tampa Bay Downs has nevertheless drawn a quality field of seven three-year-olds hoping to use the race as a springboard to bigger and better things down the road. In ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Get ready, everyone! An absolutely fantastic day of racing awaits on Saturday, led by eight graded stakes races at Gulfstream and Santa Anita. Two of the highlights are the $150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. III), which will mark the return of Mor Spirit, and the $300,000 Las ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman On Saturday, the most important Kentucky Derby prep race so far in 2016 will be held at Gulfstream Park, that being the $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III). The 8.5-furlong race serves as the first of three major prep races at Gulfstream Park, and in recent years, the race has drawn ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman As many have probably noticed, this week is a slow one in terms of major racing action—there’s only one graded stakes race on the agenda, and no official Kentucky Derby prep races are scheduled to be run.As a result, I thought it might be fun to take a different approach with this week’s ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_KeelermanThe Road to the Kentucky Derby will continue in a big way this weekend when Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park get their Derby prep races underway with the $200,000 LeComte Stakes (gr. III) and the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes. Since entries for the latter race have not yet been drawn, we’ll focus ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_KeelermanGet ready, everyone! Another terrific day of racing awaits on January 9th, highlighted by the return of 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome in the San Pasqual Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita. But for Kentucky Derby fans, the best race of the week is probably the $100,000 Sham Stakes (gr. ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_KeelermanHappy New Year, everyone! Technically, it isn’t quite 2016 yet—as I’m writing this, we still have 14 hours and 8 minutes to go—but the new year is just around the corner, and so too is the first Kentucky Derby prep race of 2016! On January 2nd, nine up-and-coming Derby contenders will face ...