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Very often it is not the Kentucky Derby itself that provides the greatest memories as much as the road leading to the Derby. That is the time when hopes and dreams are still alive. And in many cases the Derby fails to provide much drama, with stirring stretch battles a rarity. You really have to go back to 1997 to find an exciting stretch duel ...

For all of the negativity that surrounded 2019, two industry stories were actually very encouraging for the future of Thoroughbred racing and breeding. Heading into a new year, a little optimism can’t hurt. On the racing front, as abysmal as a lot of people’s experience was at the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico in May, the early October ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman January is underway, and you know the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner is out there, somewhere. Maybe he's already won a graded stakes race, like recent Derby winners American Pharoah (2015) and Nyquist (2016). Maybe he's won a race or two against easier company, like Orb (2013) or ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Happy New Year! The year has barely begun, but the Road to the Kentucky Derby is already off to a fast start. On New Year's Day, Independence Hall overcame a sluggish start to win the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, and on Saturday, a few other promising colts will endeavor to join the ...

Penny Tweedy had a vision when she came up with the idea of the Vox Populi Award. We already had an award for Horse of the Year, based purely on accomplishment, but the most accomplished horse does not necessarily equate to the most popular. Often it is the horses closest to our heart that endure and whose memory lingers the longest. Vox ...

While dashing through the mall in an attempt to wrap up the holiday shopping, we witnessed the changing dynamic in American shopping habits. It appears that the concept behind the big department store hasn’t changed all that much in the last few years, so it’s easy to see the continued erosion there at the expense of the unabated growth of online ...

Getting on in years (Ok, getting old if you want to be crude about it) has its curses and its blessings. As my world has revolved around horse racing for the past 50-plus years, I will use it to address that opening statement. The blessing has been the joy of witnessing tough, durable, brilliant horses whose owners wouldn’t dream of retiring them ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Better late than never, the Santa Anita winter meet will open for business with a stakes-packed card on Saturday, December 28. The traditional December 26 opening was postponed due to rain in the forecast, but hey, that just gives bettors a little more time for ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It certainly wouldn't be difficult for me to explain why Saturday's $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park is a two-horse race between established stars #2 Imperial Hint and #3 X Y Jet. Quite simply, these two talented speedsters are by far the most accomplished ...

There’s little debate that 2019 has been a difficult one for Thoroughbred breeding and racing. The sport has been tested like never before as our very existence has been called into question by many in the general public, some of our elected officials, national media outlets, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In trying to wrap the ...