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When Omaha Beach held off Improbable to win the Arkansas Derby (G1) April 13 at Oaklawn Park, it wrapped up an especially exciting Road to the Kentucky Derby prep season. Before turning our focus to the actual race, I thought we could take a final look back at this year's prep season in a ''by the numbers'' format. 150 Points earned by Road to ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Here's a quick trivia question to ponder: How many of the 2019 Kentucky Derby contenders have ever shown the ability to win a race in gate-to-wire fashion? The answer is two. Just two horses out of the top twenty-two qualifiers, seemingly an indication that the pace of the 2019 ...

If it wasn’t enough to watch The Stronach Group struggle with all that has transpired at Santa Anita over the past months, last week we witnessed some of the impact of the situation and other unrelated issues arising for them elsewhere in the country. The Stronach Group, a sizable and influential player when it comes to racetrack ownership with ...

1 Omaha Beach Richard Mandella War Front—Charming, by Seeking the Gold He continues to go from strength to strength and there is no plan of attack when it comes to trying to beat him, because he is so pushbutton. He showed again in the Arkansas Derby you can step on the gas at any point in the race and put him in neutral at any point in ...

It was a scene everyone had hoped for and expected. It was a farewell like no other. Tears flowed freely, voices quavered, the words of trainer Chris Waller were difficult to get out. Watching jockey Hugh Bowman being interviewed after the race, I couldn't help having the warped thought of him putting his bloody handkerchief on eBay -.- one final ...

When Churchill Downs changed its qualifying standards for the Kentucky Derby (G1) ahead of the 2013 edition of the race from graded stakes earnings to points earned in its designated Road to the Kentucky Derby series races, this is the type of season those racing executives surely imagined. While before the points system there were years where ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's been a long journey, but the 2018-19 Road to the Kentucky Derby will come to an end this Saturday with the running of two final prep races at Oaklawn Park and Keeneland. The highlight of the day is undoubtedly the $1 million Arkansas Derby (gr. I) at Oaklawn, which will pit ...

The Thoroughbred industry caught a slight breather April 6 as the actual subject of racing and the Triple Crown series took the main stage. Splendid racing returned to Central Kentucky as Keeneland hosted a gaggle of graded stakes with its Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) as its centerpieces, and Aqueduct ...

1 Omaha Beach Richard Mandella War Front—Charming, by Seeking the Gold His exceptional works continued with a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 3/5, fastest of 18 works at the distance, followed by a strong six-furlong gallop-out. Mike Smith watching the work, was so impressed he told Mandella, “That was my work of the meet.” It is apparent ...