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The Uncle Mo--The Factor showdown never did materialize in the King's Bishop (gr. I) as many had hoped, but by the time the weekend was over there were very few disappointed by what they saw from the pair of dazzling 3-year-olds--both coming off lengthy layoffs. Uncle Mo was terrific in defeat when missing by a nose to Caleb's Posse in the King's ...

Travers weekend is here. With any luck Hurricane Irene will hold off until late Saturday night in upstate New York. Whenever it invades your area, here's hoping you and your family stay safe. Travers Assuming the track stays dry and everyone breaks well, I expect Shackleford to go to the front and Coil to chase him. Stay Thirsty should be among ...

Like many, I am looking forward to the Alabama this weekend. Will It's Tricky solidify her place at the top of the division, will Plum Pretty take it away from her, or will another 3-year-old filly jump into the mix? My money will be on Plum Pretty. The race intrigues me, but in a way I just want to get this weekend over with so I can start ...

In the midst of all the major racing this summer at Del Mar and Saratoga, sometimes the hard-knocking veterans of our sport get lost in the shuffle. One of them is remarkable 6-year-old Star Guitar, a Louisiana-bred who won the $125,000 Evangeline Mile Handicap last weekend for the third consecutive year. Trained by Al Stall Jr. and a homebred of ...

On the surface, it seems that Mike Repole should be a happy man. On Tuesday, champion Uncle Mo turned in his fourth consecutive encouraging work at Saratoga and seems on his way to making a comeback in the Aug. 27 King's Bishop. Repole is also only a couple weeks removed from winning the Jim Dandy with Stay Thirsty, who could be the favorite ...

I'm a little late getting to this today and it's already Friday afternoon, so let's get right into a few of the major weekend stakes. Whitney Handicap As I said of That Handicapping Show, the handicap division has been much-maligned this year with good reason, but the lack of a discernable standout makes this an especially good betting race. I ...

Newsflash: Todd Pletcher is a pretty good trainer and horses tend to move up when he gets them in his barn. Prediction: Sidney's Candy will have a monster second half. Opinion: Sidney's Candy is the most talented horse in the country. Okay, so the opinion is a bold one, especially for a horse that has just one grade III turf win through seven ...

At this point, it really is impossible to predict year-end championships in almost every division. The way things are going in 2011 the Breeders' Cup will settle most of the Eclipse Awards, with the Classic probably deciding Horse of the Year. In the 3-year-old division, Shackleford and Ruler On Ice have a chance to jump to the top of the ...

Saratoga will be the focus of much of my attention this weekend, but the grade I Eddie Read Stakes from Del Mar figures to be a key race in a distance turf division that, quite frankly, is as soft as it has been in many years. Acclamation has put together two consecutive impressive wins including the grade I Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap ...

By J. Keeler Johnson This Saturday, Delaware Park will play host to what may end up being one of the biggest races of the year. In the track's signature race for older mares-the $750,000 Delaware Handicap (gr. II)-the remarkable fillies Havre de Grace and Blind Luck will continue their rivalry as the heavy favorites against only three other ...