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The late John Gaines was a master of many phases of the Thoroughbred industry: breeding, racing, and selling. Part of his marketing genius in the 1980s was to invest in older mares that had produced several stakes performers and breed them to one of the many stallions he had at his Gainesway Farm, so when the foals hit the yearling sales the ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's not every week that I single out a listed stakes race as the feature race for an Unlocking Winners blog post, much less a rather obscure one-mile turf race at Aqueduct on a quiet weekend in November. But when I examined the entries for the $150,000 Artie Schiller Stakes—a race ...

Most owners, trainers, and racing fans were tricked by the Halloween deluge in Louisville, Ky., that dumped several inches of rain on the main track and turf course at Churchill Downs. However, the sport sure got a treat once the horses hit the track for the Nov. 2-3 Breeders’ Cup. The main track dried out under a wind-whipped autumn day, and the ...

On April 12, 2016, the four major Kentucky Derby prep winners were Florida Derby winner Nyquist, Santa Anita Derby winner Exaggerator, Blue Grass Stakes winner Brody’s Cause, and Wood Memorial winner Outwork.Following three straight defeats, Nyquist was retired after a sixth-place finish in the Sept. 24 Pennsylvania Derby, Exaggerator was retired ...

The Breeders' Cup welcoming top international horses is not news, but it's worth pausing to consider the lineup for this year's World Championships that arrived from overseas. There is the current frontrunner for the Cartier Award as Europe's Horse of the Year, Roaring Lion, who already has won four group 1 races this year in England and Ireland. ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Get ready, everyone! The 2018 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs kick off tomorrow afternoon, and in preparation for the two fantastic days of racing, I've compiled what might be the longest Unlocking Winners blog post of all time—some 6,500 words analyzing all ...

I must start off by admitting that this is one race where my opinion changes, not by the day, but by the hour. I must also admit that two of my favorite horses are in the field, both of whom I would love to see win. They are CATHOLIC BOY and MIND YOUR BISCUITS. I have been a huge fan of Catholic Boy from the moment I laid on him in the paddock ...