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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Guess what? I'm picking Golden Brown to win the $1 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) on Sunday at Monmouth Park. I figured I might as well state that right off the top, since it will probably require the remainder of this blog post to outline my reasoning in a way that will ...

When the “the field is sent on its way to the roar of the Del Mar crowd,” is announced by Trevor Denman, and racing also returns to Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York, the Thoroughbred sport in North America is in its “happy place.” But it wasn’t all that cheerful in the Bluegrass over the weekend as a weather phenomenon best described as a ...

Nick Zito has trained many special horses in his Hall of Fame career, having won all three legs of the Triple Crown, having orchestrated two of the biggest upsets in the history of the Belmont Stakes, and having run 1,2 in the Travers Stakes. He trained Bellamy Road and Commentator, who scored some of the most spectacular victories ever ...

With all the stories regarding Justify's latest status and the pessimism that is building regarding his future, people ask me what I think. Will he ever race again? So to answer everyone at once, I don't give it any thought. I am immune to this repeated scenario that we have gone through so many times with so many shooting stars. If he never ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Races with just five starters are typically the type that get racing fans stirred up and excited, but from a sporting perspective it will be hard for any race this weekend to top Sunday's $300,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I) at Saratoga in terms of high-level intrigue and ...

Have we seen the last of Justify? That was a burning question during the week following the July 10 announcement that this year’s unbeaten Triple Crown winner would be “evaluated after some filling in his left front ankle was discovered.” Certainly, trainer Bob Baffert and the crew of majority owner WinStar Farm will do what is best for the ...

The older I get the more Oscar Wilde’s words ring true – “The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.” In many ways, my mind has not advanced at the same rate as my number of years. The feelings of youth burn just as brightly as they did when I was young. The passion and, in many ways, the naivety I still have when it ...

The $400,000, grade 1 Secretariat Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on August 11 at Arlington Park looks like the logical spot for Catholic Boy to continue his brief but drama-filled rivalry with Analyze It. However, Catholic Boy isn't your normal 3-year-old grass horse. As consistent as he's been on grass last year and this year, and as incredibly gutsy ...

Although Saturday's $750,000 Delaware Handicap (gr. II) at Delaware Park has been downgraded from Grade 1 status for Saturday's renewal (given the list of recent winners, I'm not sure why!), the 1 ¼-mile race has nevertheless attracted a Grade 1-worthy field that should be among the highlights of the weekend. Nine fillies and mares have been ...