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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The Road to the Kentucky Derby will take a couple of sharp turns on Saturday, December 7 when Aqueduct and Los Alamitos host the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) and $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2). Both races offer Kentucky Derby qualification points, and both can boast impressive ...

In a year in which the survival of our sport is being challenged and we fight to continue to engage in our passion—horses—it can be harder to give thanks and show gratitude for the treasures that enrich us and this business of Thoroughbreds. Although a long, fertile past doesn’t ensure an equally bright future, our history does give us thousands ...

Between oddsmaker Mike Battaglia and the general public it is quite obvious that no one has a clue what to make of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court. The colt will remain an enigma until he launches his assault on the Kentucky Derby, most likely in next year's Robert B. Lewis Stakes. He also is going to cause a great deal of head ...

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 ...