Three-year-old racehorses take center stage in the spring, especially in Kentucky nearing the first Saturday in May. Keeneland’s spring meet begins Friday, April 3, and the marquee race of the meet will be held Saturday, April 4, with the 102nd running of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.
2026 Santa Anita Oaks at a Glance
The $200,000 Santa Anita Oaks Presented by Surfside is the marquee race for 3-year-old fillies as Santa Anita Park and a key Southern California steppingstone to the Longines Kentucky Oaks, offering 200 qualifying points on a 100-5-25-15-10 scale to the top five finishers.
Triple Crown Turning Point: Tenacity Allowed Assault to Overcome Early Adversity
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines courage as “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” We see human examples of this each time jockeys guide thousand-pound Thoroughbred dynamos from the explosion of the starting gate to the rush for the finish line.
Where to Watch/Listen: Horse Racing Coverage April 2-5
One action-packed weekend leads into another as April brings a trio of important prep races for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and the spring-meet opening of one of horse racing’s iconic tracks.
