Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Built aims to build on his Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots success as he faces 13 rivals in the $250,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3) Jan. 18.

There will be no warm-up starts for new trainer Nick Vaccarezza, but then again he's been preparing most of his life for the opportunity.

The race will be held March 22, with a special first post at 12:45 p.m. ET. As a marquee stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Jeff Ruby Steaks awards qualifying points to the top five finishers on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.

Remington Springboard Mile Stakes winner Coal Battle won a second points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby by soundly defeating Mo Quality in the Jan. 4 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

If the Kentucky Derby (G1) doesn't work out for Cyclone State, there's always the Cigar Mile Handicap (G2).

Unlike in his maiden win, where he surged home unchallenged, Guns Loaded fought tooth and nail to the wire this time around, prevailing by a neck over a fast-finishing Treaty of Rome in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Sara Elbadwi & Paul Verderosa look forward to the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct and the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn.

In his first work since finishing ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), Godolphin homebred East Avenue breezed a half-mile at Fair Grounds Jan. 3. Trainer Brendan Walsh said the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes (G2) would be the colt's next start.

Dubai's champion sprinter, Tuz, dominated; Golden Vekoma showed promise as a UAE Derby (G3) candidate and the turf feature Jan. 3 at Meydan Racecourse ended in a three-way scrap to the wire.

In search of his first Oaklawn Park victory, trainer Chris Davis starts a promising and lightly raced colt named Mo Quality in the Jan. 4 $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes.

Springboard Mile winner Coal Battle could move into second place on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with a Jan. 4 victory in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

At the moment, the 1944 Carter Handicap remains the only American stakes that featured a triple-dead-heat for the win spot. But it almost had company. On the first Saturday of May, no less.

Churchill Downs is title sponsor of the 2025 UAE Two Thousand Guineas Trial, while The Jockey Club in the United Kingdom will sponsor the Jumeirah Stakes at Meydan Race Course. Dubai Racing Club is sponsoring a stakes in July at Newmarket.

What made the Preakness Stakes (G1) so special was the 88-year-old man who orchestrated it.

Built earned 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Dec. 21 with a dominating gate-to-wire score in the $96,000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Sandman, a sharp allowance winner Dec. 13 at Oaklawn Park for owners D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds, and CJ Stables, will be pointed to the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 25.

As 2024 winds to a close, the final opportunity to earn Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points as a 2-year-old takes place in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Dec. 21.

In his stakes debut, Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism triumphed over a field that included three from the Bob Baffert barn.

The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby took a sideways turn as a filly won the second leg of the series Dec. 11 at Kawasaki Racecourse, vaulting into the top spot on the leaderboard.

For jockey Flavien Prat, it was an unforgettable trifecta. In one fell swoop, he managed to break the record for stakes wins in a year, tie the mark for most graded stakes victories, and come up an intriguing Triple Crown prospect.