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By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A stellar field has turned out to contest Saturday's $1 million Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs. It might be the best group of horses assembled for any U.S. horse race so far this year. Six of the seven entrants are millionaires. The total earnings of the entire field stands ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman One of my favorite races in between the Triple Crown and summer racing at Saratoga and Del Mar is the $500,000 Ohio Derby (G3) at Thistledown. The 1 1/8-mile race typically draws a quality field with at least one Triple Crown veteran in the entries, and Saturday's renewal is ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although it's not a graded stakes, Saturday's $175,000 Monomoy Girl S. at Churchill Downs might just be the best race of the weekend. The six-horse field is packed with talent. The entrants include: #1 Princess Aliyah (15-1), winner of the Valley Of The Vapors S. at Oaklawn ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman A stellar renewal of the Belmont Stakes (G1) is taking place over a shortened 1 1/4-mile distance at Saratoga this Saturday. The final leg of the Triple Crown features a rematch between the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby (G1): #2 Sovereignty (2-1), #7 Journalism (8-5), ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman If the quality of horses entered in Saturday's $275,000 Blame (G3) at Churchill Downs is any indication, the 1 1/8-mile dirt race for older horses will soon be upgraded to Grade 2 status. Frankly, there have been Grade 1 races with lesser fields than the stellar group slated to ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Every year, California hosts a trio of major 1 1/4-mile dirt races: the Santa Anita H. (G1), the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2), and the Pacific Classic (G1). They're hard races to win, but trainer John Sadler makes the task look easy. Sadler's recent record in these three races is ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman Although Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Sovereignty is skipping Saturday's 150th running of the $2 million Preakness (G1) at Pimlico, the second leg of the Triple Crown has nevertheless drawn a quality field. A couple of proven Grade 1 winners have joined the nine-horse lineup, along ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The Saturday in between the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) presents an opportunity for possible Belmont (G1) contenders to shine in the $200,000 Peter Pan (G3) at Aqueduct's ''Belmont at the Big A'' meeting. The 1 1/8-mile race for three-year-olds turns out a Belmont winner ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs is almost here. Months of prep races have produced a strong field for Saturday's 151st edition of the ''Run for the Roses.'' This is my 12th year handicapping the Kentucky Derby on Unlocking Winners. My Derby record stands at 11-4-1-0 ...

By J. Keeler Johnson (''Keelerman'') Twitter: @J_Keelerman The 2025 Kentucky Derby (G1) is barely more than one week away. Post positions will be drawn on Saturday, after which we can start finalizing our betting strategies. Journalism is expected to start as a clear favorite in the Kentucky Derby, and I'm confident he'll prevail on the ...