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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Friday's renewal of the $600,000 Clark Handicap (G1) at Churchill Downs might not be the strongest in recent memory, but the dozen runners set to contest the 1 1/8-mile race figure to put on a competitive and exciting show. From a Beyer speed figure perspective, the horse to beat is ...

We hold these truths to be self-evident: The sport of Thoroughbred racing is the greatest game played outdoors. Thoroughbred breeding is a business. We are reminded of this every time a horse goes through the sale ring or we receive notice that a stallion has been retired to stud, has been relocated to another operation, or has been sold to ...

California Chrome will always have his huge legion of fans, who call themselves Chromies and worship the handsome chestnut with the same kind of fervor we saw with Zenyatta and Barbaro fans. But his place in history may have even escaped many of his fans. When he was sold to Japanese interests this past week, America lost more than one of the ...

With the passing of Morton Fink, I am reprinting a column I wrote the day of Wise Dan's emotional return from surgery in the Bernard Baruch. It culminates with me watching the race with the Finks, two of the most wonderful people you will ever meet. A Day in the Life of Wise Dan The dawn is breaking on a beautiful, cool Saratoga morning. This is ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman On this quiet weekend of racing in North America, we'll turn our attention internationally to focus on the November 24 Japan Cup (G1) at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan, unquestionably the most prestigious race taking place anywhere in the world this week. With a purse in excess ...

For the past 20 years Thoroughbred racing has been losing “market share” as a relative sport in the major press. Entries and results have disappeared from most newspapers, and stories and features—even about the major races—have been given ever-shrinking space. Tragically, the events that started this spring in Southern California have brought ...

All of us are deeply affected whenever a horse is seriously or fatally injured in a race. Sometimes it happens in a major race witnessed by a national audience, that without the incident, would be a race watched over and over and enjoyed for its impact on the sport. I have never watched a replay of the Ruffian-Foolish Pleasure match race or ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman When a handful of lightly-raced juveniles head to the Del Mar starting gate for Saturday's $100,00 Bob Hope Stakes (G3) at Del Mar, racing fans and handicappers will widely expect trainer Bob Baffert to saddle the winner. The Hall of Fame conditioner has won the ...

In addition to the commerce being conducted in and around the sale grounds at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland in Central Kentucky this week, industry players are still shaking their heads in disbelief over the results of the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park where the ill-fated Mongolian Groom later lost his life after breaking down in the ...

No one likes getting old, especially when you still think of yourself as a kid--in my case growing up in Brooklyn and having my world revolve around sports. That spark of youth still burns brightly no matter how old you get. And you even miss the naivety that comes with being young. We looked at everything, especially sports, with a good deal ...