GIII Poker Stakes

A fairly quirky notion, perhaps, but let's just give it a little rein. Because it was in California that Collected reached his peak on the racetrack, including when beaten only by the Horse of the Year in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic; and it is also in California that he has been making his name in his second career. Is it conceivable, then, that his stock may be inheriting some aptitude peculiarly adapted to the demands of the West Coast theater? Regardless, his cumulative resonance among Californian breeders certainly gives...

There might be a touch of malaise come Sunday, but the GIII Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs for 3-year-olds is the way to revive any Belmont Stakes reveler with the proper racing tonic. Add in a pair of competitive graded grass races at the Spa for good measure and Sunday's higher level slate should make things right as rain. In the Matt Winn, a trio of GI Kentucky Derby entrants will get another crack at the surface that was less than kind to them on the first Saturday in...

Saturday's GIII Kelso Stakes lost a fair bit of its intrigue when Godolphin's Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was declared from the race, and it was eFive Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who proved the chief beneficiary, defeating Talk of the Nation (Quality Road) in what more or less amounted to an eight-furlong match race.    Call Me Harry (Street Sense), easily the longest shot in the field of four, led under the wire for the first time, but was content to let...