This weekend’s highlight in horse racing is the Oaklawn Handicap in Arkansas, featuring a highly anticipated showdown between Sovereignty, the 2025 Horse of the Year and multiple classic winner, and his rival Journalism, who won the Preakness Stakes and the Haskell Invitational. Also in the field is White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner. This race serves as a key prelude to the upcoming Kentucky Derby, with several other notable races across the U.S. including the Federico Tesio at Laurel Park and the Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn, which are shaping the 3-year-old and fillies’ divisions ahead of the Triple Crown series.

Internationally, major events are also underway with Japan’s Grade 1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas) featuring top 2-year-old champions Cavallerizzo and Lovcen, while Australia hosts two Group 1 races spotlighting emerging talent. The global racing calendar is heating up with key contests in Hong Kong and Dubai on the horizon, setting the stage for an exciting season of elite thoroughbred competition worldwide.