If the horse racing calendar were more like the college basketball schedule in a normal year, it would be like we were about to move into the second half of conference play. Familiar opponents are getting rematches, others are meeting for the first time and serious candidates will emerge for the big dance. In this case, it would be the November madness known as the Breeders’ Cup.
Just look at what the next few weeks will offer (possible and probable starters courtesy of Horse Racing Nation):
Saturday: Grade 1 Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga. Can Whitmore find the magic at age 8 that he discovered last year in winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint? Or does 6-year-old Firenze Fire, an 11-time winner in New York, finally score in a graded stakes at Saratoga at a 6-furlong distance that might have been meant for him all along?