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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman An exciting slate of races is taking place across North America this Saturday. At Churchill Downs, a five-stakes card is highlighted by the Iroquois (G3) and Pocahontas (G3), the opening legs of the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks. At Belmont at the Big A, ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Closing week of the Del Mar summer meet is underway. Two final Grade 1 races wrap up the action: Saturday's $300,000 Del Mar Debutante (G1) for two-year-old fillies and Sunday's $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (G1) for two-year-olds. Both races are seven-furlong dirt sprints. Both have ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A fantastic holiday weekend of horse racing is on the agenda. Rich stakes races can be found all across the country, and some of the best horses in training are slated to compete. We'll analyze three races this week: Saturday's $1 million Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar, Sunday's ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman An absolutely fascinating renewal of the $1.25 million Travers (G1) is taking place at Saratoga this Saturday. The 1 1/4-mile contest for three-year-olds is stuffed with talent. Among the entrants are a champion, a classic winner, a Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner, a Grade 1 winner who ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Who will win Saturday's $600,000 Alabama (G1) at Saratoga? Eight three-year-old fillies have entered the 1 1/4-mile dirt contest, but one notable name is missing from the entries. Thorpedo Anna, the runaway division leader after winning the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Acorn (G1), and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Rain could impact several of the high-profile turf races taking place on the East Coast this weekend. Already the Arlington Million (G1), Beverly D. (G2), and Secretariat (G2) have been delayed by a day, while the Saratoga Derby (G1) and Fourstardave H. (G1) may soon follow ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A fantastic week of racing is on the agenda at Saratoga. Nine stakes (six of them graded) will take place between Friday and Sunday. Two of the most interesting races are the $1 million Whitney (G1) and the $150,000 Birdstone S. The Whitney has drawn a deep 12-horse field, while ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A pair of graded stakes at Saratoga this weekend—Saturday's $500,000 Jim Dandy (G2) and Sunday's $250,000 Bowling Green (G2)—could be strongly influenced by pace dynamics. Let's check out the fields and see what the prospective pace scenarios mean for handicapping: Jim Dandy ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman I had initially planned to handicap the $1 million Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park for this week's edition of Unlocking Winners. But with the field still in flux (key contenders Fierceness and Dornoch are possible to scratch), it's difficult to make a selection this far in ...