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Although the Belmont Stakes (G1) is not the Belmont as we know it, far from it, by being run around one turn at a mile and an eighth with a testing pace likely down that long straightaway, this version of the Belmont may actually be more attractive to breeders than the traditional Belmont Stakes, as it should resemble the Met Mile (G1) more than ...

Let us first acknowledge the fact that from strictly a historical standpoint, this year's Belmont Stakes (G1) is closer to a one-turn Wood Memorial Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) with a three-hour NBC telecast than it is to the Belmont Stakes. Don't get me wrong, the Belmont is going to be a great race and I'm looking forward to it, but from a ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Guess what? We're three weeks into the month of May, and the Road to the Kentucky Derby is about to heat back up! We're heading into uncharted territory as the restructured series continues on Saturday with the $150,000 Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs. Historically, the 1 ...

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 ...