The last time Galopin Des Champs raced at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, the gelding fell at the final fence while holding a 12-length lead in a Grade 1 steeplechase for novices last March. He was the odds-on favorite.

Galopin Des Champs has not made a mistake since, winning three Grade 1 races in Ireland since last April.

The 7-year-old’s improved manners have made him the horse to beat in a return trip to England for Friday’s Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup at 3 5/16 miles, jump racing’s leading weight-for-age race.

An overflow field is appearing likely for the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby, Turfway’s major Kentucky Derby prep, on March 25.

Opening Buzz is looking for her second stakes victory at Turfway this year in the Friday night feature, the $125,000 WEBN Frog Stakes for female sprinters.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mage, the fourth-place finisher in the Fountain of Youth in just his second career start, will have his first workout since that March 4 race when breezing Friday at Gulfstream Park, assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. said early this week.

Brad Cox, who trains a slew of 3-year-old males at least Kentucky Derby trail-adjacent, if not already traveling the road to the Derby, is solidifying plans for this bevy of horses.

Kayobi had a sparkling conclusion to his 2022 season in Australia, winning his final three starts from mid-June to mid-October. The start of his 2023 campaign could be quite lucrative.

Kayobi will start as a slight favorite in the $100,000 Midway Provincial Championship qualifier at Gosford Racecourse on Wednesday evening. If Kayobi finishes in the first two in a full field of 16, he will qualify for the $334,000 final at seven furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on April 7.

At the age of 9, the five-time Grade 1 winner Shishkin has undergone a career change this year.

Gone are the two-mile races that led to 10 consecutive wins from early 2020 to early 2022, replaced by starts in chases at 2 1/2 miles.

The slightly longer races seem to be a good fit for Shishkin, who will start as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at about 2 1/2 miles at Cheltenham Racecourse in England on Thursday.

The Ryanair Chase is one of three Grade 1 races on the third day of the four-day Cheltenham festival, held 100 miles west of London.

There’s good reason for optimism heading into this spring and the North American 2-year-old sales season.

The racing calendar nationwide, with strong purse structures at many tracks, has led to demand for young stock at all three major North American auction houses – Fasig-Tipton, Keeneland, and the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. All are coming off strong 2022 2-year-old sales, and continued momentum for this market segment was seen in sales of yearlings and horses of racing age through the summer, fall, and winter.