TORONTO — By Chris Lomon   Spotlight race: $100,000 purse Steady Growth Stakes     Date:  Sunday, December 10 (Race 8)    Why to watch:  The competitive race, showcasing 11 starters, is the final stakes event of the 2023 Woodbine thoroughbred season.    Who to watch in...

TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon Stakes Winner Showdown Los Alamitos Race Course is set to host the $200,000 Starlet Stakes (G2) on Saturday afternoon. Stakes winners Chatalas (2-1) and Nothing Like You (9-5) head what’s expected to be a small field of 2-year-old fillies vying for...

LOUISIANA — By Ed DeRosa The largest purse on Louisiana Champions Day slate is the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes. However, the most lucrative races for bettors might be later on the card. The Classic drew just a field of six horses and is scheduled as Race 5...

TORONTO — By Chris Lomon   Spotlight race: $150,000 purse Valedictory Stakes (G3)     Date:  Sunday, December 3 (Race 7)    Why to watch:  The 1 ½-mile Tapeta race has attracted 14 hopefuls, a mix of frontrunners, stalkers, and late-closing types.    Who to watch in the...

NEW YORK — By Ed DeRosa A trio of horses exiting two very different types of races will “meet in the middle” and face nine others in a competitive Cigar Mile on Saturday at Aqueduct. Leading the dozen is multiple graded stakes winner Senor Buscador, last seen finishing...

NEW ORLEANS — By Chris Lomon   Spotlight race: $200,000 “Thanksgiving Classic Stakes” at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, LA.     Date:  Thursday, November 23 (Race 9)    Why to watch:  The six-furlong dirt race for 3-year-olds and up has some intriguing...

NEW YORK — By Chris Lomon Spotlight race: $135,000 Forever Together Stakes   Date: Sunday, November 19 (Race 7)   Why to watch: The 1 1/16-mile turf tilt for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, features a combination of established talents and some interesting...

TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon A Colt and a Texan Integration will try to author his best C.J. Stroud impression this upcoming Saturday at Aqueduct. Like the Houston Texans’ rookie signal-caller, Integration has already proven worthy of a rise up the ranks despite being light on...

TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon Hooked on a Feeling It may have taken a few tries, but once Millie Girl got her first taste of graded stakes glory, she couldn’t let the feeling go. The 5-year-old won her second career graded bout, and second in a row, this past Saturday at Woodbine....

CHURCHILL DOWNS — By Jessica Paquette How do you handicap a maiden claiming race? This can be one of the trickier kinds of races to evaluate because it can be a combination of inexperience and horses who, at this point, may not have lived up to lofty expectations. A maiden race...