TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon   Long Road Back   Following a tough showing in November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), East Avenue finds himself on the road to redemption in Saturday’s $500,000 Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds.   A costly stumble out of the gate dashed any...

NEW ORLEANS — By Ed DeRosa   Good Cheer and East Avenue have a lot in common beyond both racing on Saturday at Fair Grounds: both are three-year-old Godolphin homebreds who figure to go favored in their respective Kentucky Oaks and Derby points races.   Most...

TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon   All Signs Pointing Up   A signature showing in Saturday’s $140,000 Sam F. Davis earned John Hancock his first career stakes title in his debut at the level.   Closing as the slight 5-2 choice over eventual second-place finisher Owen...

CALIFORNIA — By Chris Lomon   Spotlight Race: $100,000 “Sweet Life Stakes”, 6 ½ furlongs on the Downhill turf for 3-year-old fillies   Date:  Sunday, February 9 (Race 9, 5:00 pm ET )   What to do with a $20 bet : $5 exacta box: #3 Schilflied with #5...

TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon   We’re Live in 5, 4, 3…   Breaking news out of Hot Springs, Arkansas as veteran mare Corningstone, after claiming back-to-back stakes titles, will make another run at her first-ever graded stakes trophy in Saturday’s $250,000 Bayakoa (G3) at...

NEW ORLEANS — By Matthew Lomon   For the second time in three seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will play for the iconic Lombardi Trophy.   The new-look Eagles, led by Offensive Player of the Year front-runner Saquon Barkley, are out for...

TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon   Square Up   A choppy break out of the gate in Saturday’s $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) backed Burnham Square into a corner, but the 3-year-old gelding showed a flair for working off-script in an emphatic 1 ¾-length triumph.   After being parked...

CALIFORNIA — By Chris Lomon   Spotlight Race:  $61,000 Allowance, about 6 ½ furlongs on the downhill turf   Date:  Sunday, February 2 (Race 10, 7:39 p.m. ET )   What to do with a $20 Bet : $1 exacta box- #1 Refocus, #2 Ghostly Act, #6 Desert Rocket, #7 Black Beards Ghost,...

TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon   Baffert or the Field?   When the 2025 Major League Baseball season commences in March, we’ll be asking ourselves, “Dodgers or the field?”   In Saturday’s $200,000 Santa Monica (G2) at Santa Anita, that very same question will be...

LOUISIANA — By Ed DeRosa   The trio of Kentucky Derby prep races on Saturday have two different utilities among them: The Holy Bull and Withers Stakes are good betting races; the Bob & Beverly Lewis Stakes is not, but it is most likely to produce Triple Crown...