BloodHorse.com

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') On Saturday, Arlington Park will play host to seven stakes races worth a combined total of $2,865,000. The day’s racing will be highlighted by a quartet of major stakes races, led by the historic $1,000,000 Arlington Million (gr. I). Simply from a sporting perspective, the races are going to be fantastic, ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') There’s no dispute that two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan is still the king of the turf milers, but with the champ still on the comeback trail after colic surgery, there may be an opportunity for challengers to stake their claim for the throne in a pair of 8.5-furlong turf stakes races at Saratoga this week. ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Are you ready for a terrific day of racing? On August 2nd, racing fans will be treated to so many top-notch races across the country that watching—let alone handicapping!—each one might be a bit of a challenge. All told, four grade I races are on schedule, including the historic Whitney Handicap at ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') On Tuesday afternoon (or morning, if you live in the United States!), Goodwood racecourse in England will begin its prestigious, five-day meet known as ''Glorious Goodwood.'' There will be lots of spectacular racing over the course of the five days, but it's the second day of the meet (July ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') On July 27th, Monmouth Park in New Jersey will play host to the $1,000,000 Haskell Invitational (gr. I), a traditional post-Triple Crown target for the best three-year-olds of the season. Recent starters in the Haskell have included Oxbow, Shackleford, Ruler On Ice, Lookin at Lucky, Super Saver, Rachel ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Sometimes, handicapping a horse race can be as much about the horses whose chances you don’t like as it is about the horses whose chances you do like. For me, the $600,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga is such a race. A field of seven has turned out for this nine-furlong Travers prep race, led by ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Although summer officially began on June 21st, for racing fans around the United States, summer doesn’t truly begin until racing returns to Del Mar and Saratoga, the two best race meets of the summer. So with that in mind, get ready for summer to begin later this afternoon, when Del Mar will play host to a ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') There’s plenty of major racing action to look forward to this Saturday, but there’s no question that—from a sporting perspective—the biggest race of the day is the $750,000 Delaware Handicap (gr. I) at Delaware Park, a ten-furlong race that has become a major early-summer goal for the best fillies and mares in ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') On July 6th last year, two days after Independence Day, Belmont Park hosted a moderately interesting race card that featured the Suburban Handicap (gr. II) and the Dwyer Stakes (gr. II). But thanks to some major race schedule changes and purse enhancements, this year’s Independence Day celebration (scheduled ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') While last weekend’s racing action was slow, with only a handful of graded stakes races being run across the country, this weekend promises to be much, much more exciting. All told, there are twelve graded stakes races scheduled to be run on Saturday alone, including a trio of grade I events. Furthermore, some ...