After losing the first race of his career July 4, 1972, Meadow Stable’s Secretariat finished first in his eight remaining tests as a 2-year-old, although he was disqualified and placed second in the Champagne Stakes for allegedly causing interference.

This feature provides a capsule look at three horses who are heating up on the Triple Crown trail and three horses whose chances for the 2023 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve are not quite as strong as they were a few weeks ago.

In the third edition of this blog for the 2023 run for the roses, the focus is on the previous two weeks of racing that featured five Kentucky Derby qualifying races.