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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The last of the ''Win and You're In'' prep races have been run and just three weeks remain until the 2018 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs. With that in mind, now seems like as good a time as any to take an early look at each of the fourteen races and start ...

It only took 1:47.25 to get Keeneland’s fall meet off to a rousing start Oct. 5. The first race, a maiden special weight for 2-year-olds on a turf course softened by torrential rains the night before, was taken by 15-1 shot Pico Entry. A half brother to Keeneland grade 1-placed Cherry Wine, the son of Point of Entry was bred by and is raced by ...

In the spring of 1969, a magical seed was planted in the equine garden known as The Meadow, located in Caroline County, Va., just north of Richmond. From that seed the following spring would sprout a legendary creature who would one day transcend the Sport of Kings and forever alter the course of racing history. But the harsh winds of 30 ...

Looking for something new in a jam-packed weekend of stakes races, many of which serve as key steppingstones to the Breeders' Cup World Championships? The three North American Breeders' Cup Challenge races to the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs will be contested this weekend at Santa Anita Park, Belmont ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman It's not often that I make a Friday race the focus of my weekly Unlocking Winners analysis, but then again, not every Friday features the opening of the much-anticipated Keeneland fall meet, and even fewer Fridays happen to feature my best play of the week. So that's why, after much ...

When a championship-defining race has been run 99 times, we expect there to be magical moments. The Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), run for the 100th time Sept. 29, might not have looked like a vintage renewal on paper, but the race gave us a run for our money, stirring memories of Gold Cups past. Despite being purely an “American” race, this ...

I couldn’t help but be fascinated by an interview that NBC did with Kosta Hronis, co-owner of and central figure behind Accelerate, prior to the Sept. 29 Awesome Again Stakes. This is the main comment that I was delighted to hear from a relatively new owner who, along with his brother Pete, has experienced an unusual amount of success in such a ...

The Breeders' Cup Classic preps are in the books, and what we have is, in simple terms, a mish mash on paper. The anticipated East vs. West showdown between Accelerate and Diversify didn't pan out with the performance of Diversify in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. And while Accelerate won the Awesome Again Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths, it wasn't with ...

When Godolphin Racing's Thunder Snow (IRE) starts in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) Sept. 29 at Belmont Park, it could mark an important step toward a historic run in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs. Thunder Snow has shipped to the United States with the goal of becoming the fifth horse to post victories in ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman When eight horses head to the Belmont Park starting gate for Saturday's $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I), plenty of attention will be focused on the talented European shippers Mendelssohn and Thunder Snow. The attention, of course, is understandable—it's not all that common ...