LEXINGTON, Ky. -- There will be fans at Kentucky's premiere horse racing event this year after all.

After months of uncertainty prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, Churchill Downs announced Thursday that spectators will be allowed at the track for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 under a set of strict guidelines.

"We truly appreciate the ...Read more

BALTIMORE -- Pimlico Race Course will open its doors to the general public Thursday, allowing visitors to use the first and second floors of the Clubhouse to watch and bet on horse racing at other tracks as state businesses continue to reopen amid a relaxing of COVID-19-related restrictions.

The Maryland Jockey Club announced Wednesday that ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Santa Anita, which completed its six-month race meeting on Sunday, had 17 people test positive for COVID-19, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The racetrack was added Monday to the agency's list of nonresidential settings with five or more confirmed cases of the illness. The list includes grocery ...Read more

Tiz the Law kicked off the 2020 Triple Crown series with a four-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. Here are three takeaways from the race as we begin a long wait for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby and the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes:

1. Tiz the Law delivered as classy a performance as you could ask for from a heavy favorite.

The New-York-bred colt ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Strictly Biz, a lightly raced 4-year-old colt, became the 15th horse to die this season at Santa Anita when a fracture of his right knee occurred during the gallop out after the horse finished sixth in a 51/2-furlong turf allowance/optional claiming race Saturday. Veterinarians believed the injury was not reparable, and the horse ...Read more

The Belmont Stakes debut as the first race in the Triple Crown had little of the suspense that normally accompanies the Kentucky Derby. Instead, the only Grade 1 winner in the watered-down 10-horse field, Tiz The Law, erased any doubt of being much the best by winning by 3 3/4 lengths.

Saturday's race set up just as expected with Tap It To Win ...Read more

It's not Tiz the Law's fault that he'll begin his Triple Crown quest under extraordinarily odd circumstances.

He did not injure his would-be rivals in Saturday's Belmont Stakes. He did not spread the virus that upended the sports calendar and eliminated the possibility of mass gatherings.

All he's done is prove that he's an outstanding ...Read more

There were no major Kentucky Derby prep races this past weekend, but the road to the first Saturday in September is about to get busy again, with the biggest points race on the scrambled calendar coming up next.

The Belmont Stakes -- traditionally the third and final leg of the Triple Crown -- is scheduled for Saturday, and 150 points will go ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- On the second day of Del Mar's summer season last year, the morning quiet was shattered by the sound of two horses crashing into each other, killing both instantly. That kind of freak accident is extremely rare, but when it happens in the midst of unprecedented attention on horse fatalities in Southern California, it is a crisis. ...Read more

The Kentucky Derby lost one of, if not its leading contender on Thursday.

Co-owner George Bolton told the BloodHorse that undefeated 3-year-old Nadal is being retired after suffering a left front Condylar fracture during a workout Thursday morning.

A division winner of the Arkansas Derby on May 2, Nadal worked 4 furlongs in :48 4/5 at Santa ...Read more

CONCORD, N.C. -- Kyle Busch walked off Charlotte Motor Speedway as fast as he drove it.

Just as Chase Elliott had nearly won Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 on the same track, Busch was less than a second away from topping Elliott, the winner of NASCAR's return Truck race Tuesday evening.

As Rowdy walked away, Elliott took a bow. The No. 24 driver won ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Churchill Downs' Spring Meet will resume this week with racing Thursday through Monday, and the action is highlighted by a Kentucky Derby prep race on Saturday.

The Grade III, $150,000 Matt Winn is one of five stakes races scheduled for Saturday. It will be the 10th contest in an 11-race lineup and will award 85 points toward ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- For the first time in history, the Belmont Stakes will be the first leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. The New York Racing Association announced on Tuesday that the race will be held on June 20 at a distance of 1 1/8 miles, rather than the traditional 1 1/2 miles.

The Kentucky Derby has been moved from May 2 to Sept. 5 and the ...Read more

Even without fans in attendance, NASCAR's return reached a lot of eyes Sunday.

According to FOX Sports, Sunday's race at Darlington averaged 6.32 million viewers and was the most-watched competitive sports event on cable television since this year's Daytona 500, which reached more than 7 million viewers.

"A great day for sports in general," ...Read more

Darlington race winner Kevin Harvick described his trip to Victory Lane on Sunday with a word that's probably never been previously used to describe the experience.

"Awkward," Harvick said.

"Usually, you get out of the car and the crowd is screaming and yelling. (Sunday) out of the car it was like, well, I don't really know what to do here," ...Read more