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At this week's National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association convention in Clearwater Beach, Fla., Arkansas HBPA president Bill Walmsley explained his thought process when Oaklawn Park management outlined a possible plan this month to split the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) into two divisions. The track's plan was to offer a pair of ...

When you reach a certain age, at least in my case, you have this desire to release feelings inside you. You don’t want them silenced for eternity. You want people, mostly the ones you love, to know exactly how you feel and who you really are. Several years ago, I wrote a column thanking my wife Joan for everything she has done for me, mainly ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A week later than originally expected, the Kentucky Derby favorites Game Winner and Improbable will make their much-anticipated three-year-old debuts in the two separate divisions of Saturday's $750,000 Rebel Stakes (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park. Both colts are Grade 1 winners trained by ...

With spring just around the corner and the Thoroughbred racing season set to kick-start into high gear with major Triple Crown preps spicing up the weekends, the Thoroughbred industry must tap the brakes and focus instead on a crisis—the closing of Santa Anita Park due to a rash of breakdowns over the past two-and-a-half months. When national ...

1 Game Winner Bob Baffert Candy Ride (ARG)—Indyan Giving, by A.P. Indy Baffert’s big two are living on the edge. When you have athletes primed and ready to compete in their own backyard and they don’t, then have to ship to another track to work and wait a week and ship cross-country, it usually disrupts the entire routine. They still ...

So you're an owner with a 3-year-old who isn't quite ready to try two turns in a graded stakes, but you would like to pick up some qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1)--just in case stretching out to a classic distance could still be in the future. Or you're a trainer with a sophomore who has shown talent ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although the slate of Kentucky Derby prep races this weekend is a bit lighter than expected due to the indefinite suspension of racing at Santa Anita, there are still three big races on the agenda, with the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) at Tampa Bay Downs being the race that ...