Coming into the Black-Eyed Susan, the field is evenly split between five fillies in the morning line at odds of 5-1 or less, and five others in double-digits. With the forecast indicating a 100% chance of rain on Friday in Baltimore, getting through the mud is going to be a challenge for the entire field.
Although she has yet to race in the mud, if she can handle the track Sara Street (4-1) has enough early speed and a frontrunning style that should keep her out of traffic trouble. A lightly raced filly for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, she made one start in 2017 and then came back this year to break her maiden on first try despite racing four-wide off the turn in a 6 1/2 furlong race at Aqueduct.
She then moved up to stakes company where she grabbed the lead in the stretch of the Busher Stakes before being caught just before the wire by Midnight Disguise. Next up was the (G2) Gazelle Stakes run at the Black-Eyed Susan distance of 1 1/8 miles, where she just missed the win by a half-length to My Miss Lilly, who she had previously beat in the Busher. She's a very consistant filly who appears to want the distance, and a repeat of her Gazelle effort might be enough to grab the win against this field.
One that has had previous success in the slop is Red Ruby (5-1) who also overcame traffic trouble to win the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park two starts back in her first start if 2018. She made her first try at the graded-stakes level last time out in the (G3) Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn in mid-March where she could do no better than fourth. She has been off since then, and the rest between races is probably what she needed, but she's going to have to try and find a bit more early speed to stay in contention.
The best resume in the field belongs to the aforementioned Midnight Disguise (4-1) a New York-bred for trainer Linda Rice who has won four of six lifetime starts, including a pair of lower-level stakes. She was a well-beaten fourth in the Gazelle, and her late-running, off-the-pace style isn't typically the best way to win on a muddy track with a relatively large field, but she has the talent to get in the money if she can handle the conditions.
Looking for some value on the bottom of the ticket, C.S. Incharge (15-1) only has two lifetime wins in seven starts, but both of those have come this year, the first her maiden win on a sloppy track at Gulfstream. She followed that up with a lower-level stakes win at Tampa Bay Downs, and although she was seventh in her last try in the (G1) Ashland Stakes, she was the one to push eventual Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl through the first half-mile, and she's facing a much easier field this time around.
The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes goes Friday, May 18 from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. It's race #11 of 14 on Pimlico's Friday card, with an expected post time of 4:48 PM Eastern.
Entries w/ ML Odds
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