The G1 $250,000 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park on Saturday will showcase six fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles. More Chocolate has a G2 win in the La Canada three races back and a second in the G1 Santa Margarita two races ago.
The $500,000 G1 Stephen Foster Handicap features a small field of six runners including the Breeders Cup Classic winner Fort Larned who ran an inexplicably bad race in the Oaklawn Handicap last out but if he bounces back is the one to beat.
The $1,000,000 Belmont Stakes for three year olds features the Derby winner Orb, and the Preakness winner Oxbow, who will go head to head in the test of champions. Orb simply didn't fire last out and is a strong contender if he can replicate his Derby form.
The $500,000 G1 Manhattan Handicap features a field of 10 going 1 1/4 miles on the Belmont inner turf. The strong favorite is Point of Entry who breaks from the rail. He has won six of his last seven races, including four Grade 1 races. He most recently defeated the Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom so he is going to be tough here.
The $500,000 Penn Mile on turf features a cast of eight three-year-olds. Noble Tune will break from the rail and just won the G2 American Turf at Churchill. He may vie for favoritism with Jack Milton who just won the G3 Translyvania.
The $250,000 Moutainview Handicap at Penn National features eight horses three-and-up going 1-1/8 miles on dirt. Rattlesnake Bridge most recently got third in the G3 Westchester and Macho Macho has lost three straight, his last win being in the G2 West Virginia Derby last August.
The Grade 2, $200,000 Nassau Stakes will be run at Woodbine on Saturday. Solid Appeal won her maiden and an allowance on turf here last year and ended her campaign with a solid fourth in the Grade 2 Mrs.
The 2013 running of the Preakness Stakes features a moderate size field of 9 that will be running 1-3/16 miles this Saturday at Pimlico. Headlining the field, of course, is Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner who will break from the rail and is clearly the one to beat until someone else proves otherwise.
The Grade 2, $300,000 Dixie Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday at 1-1/8 miles on grass has a very well balanced and competitive field featuring a large group of 13 runners. Wilcox Inn tops the field following his runner-up finish to Amira's Prince in the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz Handicap at Fair Grounds in his last start.
The G3 $100,000 Senorita at Hollywood Park on Saturday features eight 3-year-old fillies running 1 mile on the grass. Scarlet Strike drew the outside and just won the G3 Providencia last month. Charlie Em comes from Europe and has 3 wins in 8 starts.
The G2 $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes for 3-year-olds Saturday at Belmont Park features 11 runners. Some of the top contenders include Abraham who finished a solid fourth in the Illinois Derby. Declan's Warrior recently took the G3 7 furlong Bayshore, getting up to win late. He looks like he might be able to get the distance.
The 139th running of the $2,000,000 Kentucky Derby once again features a full field of 20 runners. We are providing two simulations of the Derby - one on a fast track and one on a sloppy track - so our VIPs can catch the action in both scenarios.
The $1,000,000 Kentucky Oaks on Friday features a cast of 11 led by Dreaming of Julia who just ran a monster race in the Gulfstream Park Oaks winning it by an incredible 21 lengths - if she can duplicate that, then the field will be at her mercy.
The $500,000 G1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at 1 1/8 at Churchill promises an outstanding race between two outstanding horses, Horse of the Year Wise Dan and four-time G1 turf winner Point of Entry.
