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Wide Open Blue Grass Full of Twists and Turns

This year's edition of the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes may be wide open, so let's have fun with it and try to bring home a winner.

Wynn Odds to Win Triple Crown Released

If you're leaning in favor of any particular horse for the Kentucky Derby, maybe you'd like to know what Johnny Avello thinks about its odds to win the Triple Crown.

Derby Trail: Where They're Going Next

We're at the top of the stretch now, and every Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) prep race gains heightened importance. Here's a survey of about 80 contenders and pretenders on the Derby Trail.

Spiral Field a Handicapping Challenge

The 2013 edition of the grade III Spiral Stakes brings together an interesting mixture of dirt, turf and synthetic track runners that includes shippers and local entries.

Derby Trail: Where They're Going Next

We are now officially barreling down the road to the Kentucky Derby, and the Road to the Roses contest is coming up soon. So here's a survey of over 80 horses and where they're going next on the Derby Trail.

KY Court Overturns Vet Stewart's Suspension

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has overturned Dr. Rod Stewart's four-year suspension for possession of cobra venom, stating that the regulation under which the veterinarian was disciplined was vague.

Can Super Ninety Nine Repel New Challengers?

With many of the also-rans from the grade III Southwest Stakes out of the grade II Rebel, can Super Ninety Nine fend off the new challengers?

New Derby Points System: Swelling the Ranks?

A prevalent idea at this point on the 2013 Kentucky Derby Trail is that the new points system is attracting more horses to the prep races. But is that what's actually happening?

Verrazano: A Bridge to the Kentucky Derby

The road to the Kentucky Derby winner's circle has run through Tampa twice since 2007. On Saturday in his first run in graded company, Verrazano will follow the path of Street Sense and Super Saver and see where it leads.

Derby Trail: Where They're Going Next

Here are next-race plans for over 70 horses on the Kentucky Derby trail. We'll start off with some of the more prominent names.

Derby Trail: Where They're Going Next

One week into the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, we run down the schedules of the major contenders, and more.

Where They're Going: Next-Race Plans

With Tuesday's announcement that Verrazano is going to the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby, it seems timely to survey several leading names on the Kentucky Derby trail and where they may race next.

Fortify Among Entries in UAE 2000 Guineas

Fortify is among nine entered for Thursday's group III UAE Two Thousand Guineas, with final declarations scheduled to be made on Tuesday.

Dynamic Sky Faces Engaging Davis Foes

It's supposed to be Dynamic Sky's race to lose, but he's going to face some 3-year-olds with upside potential in the grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes.

Downey Profile: A Revolutionary Upset?

I can't wait to see Revolutionary run on Saturday in the grade III Withers Stakes, but I am even more interested in watching the colt that was the first foal out of Round Pond.

UAE Derby Draws 27 U. S. Nominations

The grade II UAE Derby has drawn 27 nominations from the United States, comprising about a quarter of the 105 names submitted for the race. Bob Baffert and Ken McPeek lead the trainer list.

Downey Profile: Shanghai Bobby Put to Test

A field of 10, some of them with the look of real contenders, will decide whether Shanghai Bobby will be be upended coming off his 2-year-old championship in the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Derby Could Be Made With Under 40 Points

While there is an educated guess out there that 40 points may be the over-and-under to make the Kentucky Derby starting gate, there is reason to believe it will take fewer points than that.

Breeders' Cup Sprint Probables, Possibles

There's no shortage of good sprinters lining up for what is, every year, one of the most exciting races of Breeders' Cup.

Ladies' Classic Probables, Possibles

There's plenty of time between now and pre-entry day on Oct. 22, but based on a survey of several sources, there's a list of six definites, with only one of them based in Southern California

Breeders' Cup Classic Probables, Possibles

The list of probables for the Breeders' Cup Classic will undoubtedly change before pre-entries are due on Oct. 22, but here's the best we know based on the information that's out there.

Saratoga Diary: Class in Session

Even on College Day, the backyard of Saratoga should not be confused with the infield of Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.

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Winning Belmont Stakes Patterns Since 1978

Belmont Stakes charts since the last Triple Crown was won show that it is almost imperative to be in the top three with a quarter-mile left in the race -- and to be on the lead at the furlong marker.

Derby by the Speed Numbers

Or, Who'll Get to the Eighth Pole First; Who Can Run on An Off Track?

Updated Graded Earnings Chart--Jockeys Added

Chart of contenders for the May 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), ranked by earnings in graded stakes that are used to determine 20-horse starting field.

Coolmore Lexington: Will Speed Rule the Day?

Let's get right to it and start this analysis with Morgan's Guerilla. He's breaking from post 1.

Derby Graded Earnings List Updated (Top 64)

Bodemeister jumped into the Top 20 in a big way with a 9 1/2-length win of the grade II Arkansas Derby, catapulting him to number 11.

Blue Grass Win to Early Speed or Deep Closer?

I think either Hansen or Dullahan will win the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass, but how will the track be playing on Saturday?

Derby Graded Earnings List Inflates

After Saturday's graded stakes, Rousing Sermon is number 20 on the Kentucky Derby graded stakes earnings list with $270,000. He's ahead of Mark Valeski, El Padrino, Reveron and a host of others.

Downey: Can Gemologist Be Upset in Wood?

The Grade I Wood Memorial is worth taking a risk with a moderate longshot, but things have to set up right for him.

Is Illinois Derby Pletcher's Stepping Stone?

It's possible Todd Pletcher will have just one Kentucky Derby horse, and the name of that horse is Our Entourage.

Pletcher's Derby Madness Number One Seeds

Tuesday in a national conference call, trainer Todd Pletcher was asked to name the figurative four number one seeds on the Kentucky Derby Trail, and he didn't hesitate with his answer.

Updated Kentucky Derby Graded Earnings Chart

There were a lot of changes to the Kentucky Derby graded earnings chart over the weekend. Number 20 on the list now has $188,000, with several major preps left.

Derby Earnings List Update: Late Nominees

Our Kentucky Derby earnings chart now includes five horse late-nominated to the Triple Crown with graded earnings within the range set out on the chart -- and two of them are in the top 20.

Downey: Spiral A Handicapping Headache

This race shows even matchups on paper, so like an NCAA Tournament game, it could result in a big surprise.

Downey Profile: Late Mover Could Win Rebel

It could turn out to be a bust, but I picked my winner of the Grade II Rebel Stakes about two weeks ago.

Palm Beach: How Great Is Dullahan?

Paddy O'Prado won the grade III Palm Beach Stakes in 2010, but last year Joes Blazing Aaron came away with the win. He went on to finish sixth in the grade I Toyota Blue Grass and has lost seven straight races.

Creative Cause the Pick in San Felipe

You could say that no race so far this year will weed out so many potentially serious Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contenders as the grade II San Felipe -- but that's not necessarily the case.

Downey Profile: Gotham Full of Gambles

The Gotham Stakes is one of those races that could end up exactly like you thought it wouldn't -- so maybe it will.

Discreet Dancer's Challenges in FOY

The grade II Fountain of Youth could come down to whether one of the three top-rated horses reacts well to a touch of the whip.

Unbridled's Note Looks Tough in Southwest

The first division of the grade III Southwest Stakes looks like the stronger of the two, so we may have to work that much harder to find the winner. Let's get right down to it for both divisions.

Downey Profile: Ever So Lucky's Mixed Signals

Most of the horses in the Grade II Hutcheson Stakes field have something in common. And then there's Ever So Lucky.

Downey Profile: Davis Full of Winning Angles

The grade III Sam F. Davis looks like a wide-open affair going in, so let's see if we can winnow out some angles.

Downey Profile: Might Take Some Swagger

The grade III Withers Stakes adds spice to the dead-of-winter Triple Crown Trail in New York. In the spirit of things, Dick Downey looks for a horse to upset Alpha.

Problem-Solving: Can Hansen Lose Holy Bull?

Will this year's compact field yield an established favorite or an improving horse in the winner's circle when the Holy Bull Stakes is run Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park?

Kentucky Derby by the Speed Numbers

We take a look at times, Beyer figs, speed figs, track variants and Brisnet figs for 1 1/8-mile Derby prep races.

Comprehensive Kentucky Derby Workout Report

This report takes a look at recent workouts of every horse probable or possible to make the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands field at this point. It summarizes last-race information and workouts since then.

Comprehensive Kentucky Derby Workout Report

This report takes a look at recent workouts of every horse probable or possible to make the Kentucky Derby field at this point. It summarizes last-race information and workouts since then.

New: Kentucky Derby Graded Earnings List

With nearly all of the prep races for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) completed, here are the rankings by earnings in graded stakes races that will be used to determine the 20 starters in the classic.

Dick's Picks: Blue Grass Is One Tough Race

The evolution of the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass has resulted in quite a few turf horses coming this year, something that surely wasn't expected back when Keeneland switched from dirt to Polytrack.