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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Since the creation of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. I) in 2008, several new turf sprint races have been created at various tracks across the United States, giving great depth to the expanding division. The division has received an additional boost this year thanks to the creation of the $300,000 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') There is no race meet in the world quite like Royal Ascot. The five-day, thirty-race festival features some of the highest-class racing in all of Europe, and the participation of top jockeys, trainers, and owners is spectacular. The quality of the horses is also unquestionable, with names like Frankel and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') With the Triple Crown having wrapped up last Saturday, it can be easy for racing fans to enter a post-Triple Crown depression. After all, it will be a full six months before next year’s Triple Crown trail really begins! Fortunately, there is plenty of action scheduled for this coming Saturday, including a ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') In the weeks following California Chrome’s victory in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), I have been reluctantly searching for a horse that could deny him a Triple Crown victory in the Belmont Stakes. It seemed like a sensible thing to do. After all, no horse has swept the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') As the lone twelve-furlong grade I race run on dirt in this country, the Belmont Stakes stands alone in the world of handicapping; an island in an ocean of races that are generally nine furlongs and shorter. Handicappers and horses alike rarely get a chance to exercise their skills at such a lengthy distance ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') With one more weekend left to go before the much-anticipated Belmont Stakes, racing fans everywhere are struggling to contain their excitement and wait out the final nine days that separate them from Belmont Day. Fortunately for these fans—myself included!—Penn National has compiled a tremendous card of racing ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Well! It looks like a pretty exciting set of graded stakes races are on schedule for this Memorial Day weekend! Granted, they aren’t quite as exciting as a certain set of graded stakes races scheduled for June 7th at Belmont Park, but hey—as much as I’d like to fill up this week’s blog post with early thoughts ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') We got trouble! Right here at Pimlico! With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Post Position! After going over the post positions for the 139th Preakness Stakes (gr. I), I couldn’t resist quoting—in slightly modified fashion—the lyrics to a song from The Music Man. If you’ve never ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') There’s no denying that Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome will be an overwhelming favorite to win the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico this Saturday, and trying to find a longshot that can beat him will likely prove fruitless. But in my opinion, there is a horse pointing toward the Preakness Stakes ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') In the wake of California Chrome’s impressive victory in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) last Saturday, it’s easy to let the excitement take over and start thinking about a potential sweep of the Triple Crown—the first since Affirmed in 1978. But even if California Chrome wins next Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (gr. ...