Gather a bunch of colleagues together for a meeting this week and the discussion inevitably turns to the Super Bowl. When the people involved also are avid horse racing fans, the conversation then inevitably veers to connections between the two sports.

After a week-plus of significant winter weather and Arctic temperatures across most of the eastern half of the U.S. led to several racetracks closing and postponing stakes, the upcoming week promises to be a return to normalcy for most venues, and with a boost in major races on the calendar.