This is the second race in the Filly Triple Crown over in the USA and you may be thinking “why the weird name’? Well, it is because the Black Eyed Susan is the state flower of Maryland, where this race is run. The race itself is a Grade II American Thoroughbred affair for three year old fillies and the race goes over the distance of 1 1?8 miles (9 furlongs) on a dirt track at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
So now you are all clued in, this is a famous old race which had its first running back in 1919 and this is part of the build-up to the equally famous Preakness Stakes which goes off on Saturday. The race is part of the Filly Triple Crown and this is the middle one sandwiched between the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and the Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park. You don’t often find a horse actually attempting this particular Triple Crown feat.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has become a growing force in the race with four wins since his inaugural seduces in 2014 and he is the joint-most successful trainer at the event along with D. Wayne Lukas. Famous trainer Bob Baffert (the trainer of American Pharaoh) has won the title three times before.
2018 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes*
Sara Street 5/2, Goodonehoney 3/1, Coach Rocks 9/2, Midnight Disguise 11/2, Red Ruby 7/1, CS Incharge 8/1, Indy Union 12/1, Stakes On A Plane 33/1, Mihrab 40/1, Tell Your Mama 50/1* (Betting Odds taken at 06:52 p.m. on May 14th, 2018)
Preview
Race favourite Sara Street has been out three times this year, winning her first run which was at the Maiden Special Weight and then went on to make a couple more appearances at Aqueduct. Her outing in early March at the Busher Stakes and then the early April outing at the Gazelle Stakes both took similar routes. She ran well in both races and was challenging well when really driven on in the final furlong, but just couldn’t make up the gap to the leader and had to settle for second in both. She is comfortable at the distance and has been showing promise.
Coach Rocks came out strongly at the end of March to take a win at Gulfstream Park but then raised some big concerns after just running out of steam, weakening pretty badly in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks after starting to mount a challenge two furlongs out, she had nothing in the tank with one to go. Black Eyed Susan 11/2 odds option* (Betting Odds taken at 06:52 p.m. on May 14th, 2018) Midnight Disguise was a fourth-place finisher at the Gazelle Stakes (where Sarah Street was second) but will be a tempter at the odds.
That is because she took a win over Sara Street back at the Busher Stakes on the dirt and had to show a lot of grit and fighting to hold off Sara Street as well as My Miss Lily who was the winner of the Gazelle Stakes. Goodonehoney has been shown well for backers in the field while CS Incharge was making good ground with back to back wins in her first races of the season but there was a weak running and finish from her at Keeneland in early April at the Central Bank Ashland Stakes. She was at her heaviest weight yet there and just weakened with 2 furlongs to go to finish second from last.
Predictions
This is a pretty exciting race and you can see by the odds that this is expected to be competitive. We can pick out Sara Street easily enough at 5/2 odds with bet365 because in her second-place finishes recently she has shown some fine form and is going well and she should be in the picture when she hits stride. We like Midnight Disguise as a contender to also put things right on the day as the bigger odds option.
