BloodHorse.com

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman Get ready, folks! We’re about to pass the eighth pole on the road to the Kentucky Derby! Only five official prep races remain on the schedule, and three of them—all worth 100 qualification points to their winners—will be run this Saturday. Among the starters are such well-regarded contenders as ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman The first three 100-point Kentucky Derby qualification races were held last Saturday, and the results—while not overly surprising—served to further confuse a puzzling Kentucky Derby trail, resulting in more questions asked than answered. We’ll begin with the UAE Derby (UAE-II) at Meydan in ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman The last Saturday in March is a day that I mark on my calendar far in advance each year. Without question, it is one of the best days of racing every year, and 2015 promises to be no exception. Across the world in Dubai, a nine-race program worth $30 million will be highlighted by the $10 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman On Saturday, the racing world will turn its attention to Dubai, where an impressive slate of eight graded stakes races worth a combined $29 million will be held at Meydan. Headlining the action is the world’s richest horse race, the $10 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I), in which reigning U.S. ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman Just as the Spiral Stakes (gr. III) is a major milestone on the Derby trail as the ''first of the final'' Kentucky Derby prep races, the $800,000 Sunland Derby (gr. III) is another major milestone as the ''Last of the Fifties,'' or the last of the Derby prep races that award 50 qualification ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') @J_Keelerman At long last, we’ve entered the homestretch! After months of poring over entries and results and pedigrees and speed figures, trying to project which horses are serious Kentucky Derby contenders and which are not, we have finally reached the beginning of the end of our journey. On Saturday, the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') On Saturday, Oaklawn Park will play host to the $750,000 Rebel Stakes (gr. II), an 8.5-furlong Kentucky Derby prep race that has attracted a number of top-class runners in recent years, including champions Lookin at Lucky and Will Take Charge, Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Oxbow, and future grade I winners ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Just how good is Shared Belief? He has hinted at potential greatness throughout his career, earning a championship title as a two-year-old and winning grade I races at distances from seven to ten furlongs. But honestly, Shared Belief seems to be getting better as he gets older, and the manner in which he won ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') This coming Saturday promises to be the best day of racing thus far in 2015, with a remarkable thirteen graded stakes races scheduled to be run, including three major Kentucky Derby prep races. With such well-regarded Derby contenders as Dortmund, Carpe Diem, Ocean Knight, Ocho Ocho Ocho, Lord Nelson, Bolo, ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Although there are no official Kentucky Derby prep races on the schedule for this weekend (which should be forbidden at this time of year, but I digress… :) ), there are nevertheless several intriguing stakes races for three-year-olds on the agenda, led by the $200,000 Swale Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream ...