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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The 1 1/4-mile $1 million Arlington Million (G1) and the 1 3/16-mile $500,000 Beverly D. Stakes (G1) long ranked as the highlights of the summer racing season at Arlington Park. When Arlington closed down following the 2021 meet, the two races transitioned to Churchill Downs and ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The road to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) takes a fascinating turn this Saturday with the running of the $1 million Whitney S. (G1) at Saratoga. Fascinating, because the 1 1/8-mile race could change the entire Breeders' Cup Classic picture in less than two minutes. Held over 1 1/8 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The $500,000 Jim Dandy S. (G2) at Saratoga boasts an impressive roster of recent winners. Epicenter (2022) and Essential Quality (2021) went on to win Saratoga's Travers S. (G1) and earn champion three-year-old male honors at the Eclipse Awards. Mystic Guide (2020) eventually won a ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A spectacular day of racing awaits at Monmouth Park this Saturday. Half a dozen stakes (five of them graded) are on the agenda, led by the $1 million Haskell S. (G1) for three-year-olds traveling 1 1/8 miles. The Haskell often seems like a fourth leg of the Triple Crown, and this ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The summer racing action is heating up in a big way with the opening of Saratoga. The meet kicked off on Thursday, and I'm excited for the upcoming Saturday card, a stakes-packed day of racing with lots of talented horses in the entries. Let's check out four of the races taking ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The biggest race taking place in North America this week is the $750,000 Belmont Derby (G1) for three-year-old racings 1 1/4 miles on turf. But there are also three other Derbys on the weekend agenda, all slated to take place on dirt. I don't have any strong opinions in the Belmont ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman In the weeks and months following the Triple Crown, it's fun to crisscross the country handicapping smaller stakes for three-year-olds, which often draw alumni from the Triple Crown and/or Road to the Kentucky Derby. That's why we're turning our attention this week to the $200,000 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The post-Triple Crown stakes scene for three-year-olds makes a stop at Thistledown this Saturday for the $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3), a race with a recent roster of winners highlighted by Triple Crown alumni Tawny Port (2022), Owendale (2019), Irap (2017), Mo Tom (2016), and Mr. Z ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Now that the Triple Crown is over, it's time to turn our attention to handicapping the Pegasus. No, we're not referring to the Pegasus World Cup (G1). We're referring to the $150,000 Pegasus S. at Monmouth Park, an ungraded stakes that nevertheless punches far above its weight in ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The 2023 Triple Crown wraps up on Saturday with a stellar renewal of the $1.5 million Belmont S. (G1) at Belmont Park. You can make a case that the third and final leg of this year's Triple Crown is shaping up as the strongest. A bevy of scratches took some sparkle out of the ...