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Belmont Stakes Day Belmont Festival Friday Eclipse Stakes Day Hollywood Gold Cup Preakness Stakes results |
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 Tyler Gaffalione celebrates aboard My Miss Mo after winning the Black-Eyed Susan | |
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Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com. |
The filly counterpart to the Preakness is the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) held on the Friday before Preakness day. Conditions were typical for mid May with overcast skies and temperatures in the high 60's, with the turf course firm and the the main track fast. Maryland racing including Preakness week will be conducted exclusively at Laurel Park while Pimlico Race Course is being rebuilt after its demolition last summer, with the Preakness expected to return "home" to the new Pimlico in 2027.
A field of 9 three-year-old fillies went to post for the 102nd renewal of this 1 1/8 mile contest, 1 complete lap of Laurel's main track. My Miss Mo was sent off as the 5-2 favorite off second place finishes in the Davona Dale (G2) and Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). In to challenge her included 3-1 second choice Braken Poppa, winner of the Crescent City Oaks at Fair Grounds, and 4-1 third choice Holly's Holiday, winner of the Valley of Vapors Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
 First time by in the Black-Eyed Susan. |
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 10 My Miss Mo Gaffalione 7.00 4.40 3.20 7 Jumping the Gun Saez 6.80 4.60 9 A. P.'s Girl Ortiz Jr. 4.00 Winning Time: 1:52.15 $1 Exacta 10-7 23.60 $1 Trifecta 10-7-9 90.30 $1 Superfecta 10-7-9-8 441.60 $1 Super Hi-5 10-7-9-8-1 1,627.90 |
Left: My Miss Mo in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said, "She's not a perfect kind of moving filly, and I didn't want to lead her over for the [Oaks] and have her scratch, so when they weren't happy, I talked to the owners and we took her out. Like I said, everything works out for a reason. They worked out today, because she's a Grade 2 winner, and she comes from a great family, and we're proud of the filly."
Right: The winning connections with their trophies. Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione said, "Coming from the outside post, we wanted to get forward. She breaks alertly, so just wanted to not get ahead of ourselves, but let her get forward. That way we wouldn't lose too much ground going into the first turn. I was very confident. Going down the backside, I kept having to take a pull. She was wanting to get going a little bit, but she was doing it very easy. So I tried to sit as long as I could. She was traveling beautifully. So I just let her be. As soon as I called on her at the eighth pole, she found another gear. She did it well."
Left: My Miss Mo walks over from the barn. Gaffalione added, "It's just a combination of things. Experience, maturity and more confidence in herself. I think last time, going two turns for the first time, we really got to see the best of her that day. Obviously, she took a step forward, and that's what we were expecting from her, and she showed up big for us."
Right: My Miss Mo returns after the race. Winning owner Rich Averill said, "With not being able to run in the Kentucky Oaks, I couldn't be happier to be here and get this trophy with all my partners, friends, and family and stuff. I ran second in this race in 2005 (with R Lady Joy), and now we got our win. This is gonna look real good next to the trophy I got about two weeks ago."
Left: Second place finisher Jumping the Gun walks over from the barn. Trainer Andrew Simoff said, "Turning from home, I thought I had it, but she just hung that last sixteenth a little bit. But she'll do that. I was talking to Luis [Saez] and he said maybe wait a little longer, don't make the lead at the quarter pole, just see what happens. We'll see how she comes back and look at the Delaware Oaks. That's my track. Run her right out of their stall. That'll be our next stop."
Right: Third place finisher A. P.'s Girl breaks from the starting gate. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "I had a beautiful trip. I broke good. I followed the 7 horse [second-place finisher Jumping the Gun]. I took my time and she felt good running underneath me. I really broke great and felt like we had a good chance. I was biding my time, but when we turned for home, they really picked it up and ran away from me a little bit. She really tried and ran a good race. I've never ridden her before so now I know her a little bit better. She's a nice filly."
The start of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. Luis Saez aboard runner-up Jumping the Gun said, "We had a beautiful trip and were in a good spot throughout. I knew there was going to be speed from the outside. We were in a good stalking spot. The winner was on top turning for home. I thought we were going to run on by, but the winner still had horse. We were second best today."
The co-feature on Friday is the $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3). A field of 7 older horses contested this historic 1 3/16 mile trip, with allowance winner Navajo Warrior sent off as the 6-5 favorite over 3-1 second choice Yo Daddy, winner of the Excelsior at Aqueduct, and 4-1 third choice San Siro, third in the Ben Ali (G3) at Keeneland.
Jockey Flavien Prat sent favorite Navajo Warrior to a clear lead first time by through fractions of 24.60, 48.40, and 1:12.43 while pressed by 5-1 fourth choice Awesome Aaron and stalked by Yo Daddy. Turning for home Navajo Warrior continued to lead through 1 mile in 1:37.67, and cruised to a 2 3/4 length win over late-running 17-2 Maclean's Rook in 1:56.61. It was another 3/4 lengths back to San Siro third.
Left: Navajo Warrior in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said, "We left it up to Flavien [Prat]. When he made the lead, we were happy enough that he was there. I thought the 4 [Awesome Aaron] would be on the lead, but left the race to Flavien to ride his own race. He broke well and he made the initiative, the decision to go ahead and make the running. It worked out good."
Right: Navajo Warrior heads back to the barn after the race. Winning jockey Flavien Prat said, "It didn't look like there was a whole lot of speed. I wanted to break clean and see what other riders were doing. He jumped very well and found himself on the lead. I got a little pressure down the backside, but he kind of got away from that and after that he did the rest. I figured I could end up on the lead. I didn't want to lock myself into going. But, for sure, I had in mind I could end up on the lead. I do feel the times were decent. It is a track on the slow side and a tiring track for sure. Those were decent fractions. I felt very comfortable all the way around."
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Left: Second place finisher Maclean's Rook after the finish. Trainer Mike Trombetta said, "We were taking a little bit of a swing jumping into this kind of company,,and we are tickled to death with this. You always kind of hope things set up for you a little better. We were tested going this distance, but he showed up really well against a real good group of horses. It would have been really sweet to win it. I thought for a minute we had a chance to run that horse down, but he just kept on getting it."
Right: Third place finisher San Siro heads out to the track. Trainer Brendan Walsh said, "I thought he ran well. He could have done with a little more pace, maybe. But to be fair to him, he tried hard and he ran his race. And I think eventually he's going to win one of these races." Jockey Tyler Gaffalione added, "Everything went very smooth. My horse gave me a really good run and finished up well. I was proud of his effort; I just think the pace scenario went against us today."
Start of the Pimlico Special at Laurel. Jockey Ismerio Villalobos aboard Maclean's Rook said, "I was very happy for the race. He ran well, but with a nine-horse field and the pace it was tough. The winner is a nice horse."
Left: Margie's Intention in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Brad Cox said, "The last sixteenth of a mile it felt like she was clear. I think with the pace being as slow as it was, going up the backside I wasn't sure how it would play out. We don't run there a whole lot and am not real familiar with the surface. But she showed she liked the mile and an eighth. I thought the long stretch would be her friend, and it was. I was proud of her and the effort."
Right: Margie's Intention heads back to the barn after the race. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "My filly doesn't really have too much speed, so I was riding my racing, letting her be her, letting her be comfortable. I was close enough to the horse I have to beat. I even took a little more time with her, let her find her stride, take a little hold of her. I didn't have to be pushing to get position or to be on in close contact with the horses in front of me. That was great. Then at the three-eighths pole it was time to let her do her thing, and she did it easy."
Start of the Allaire DuPont Distaff. Ortiz Jr. added, "She gave me a good feeling every step of the way. Honestly, I was like buying time. I felt I had the horse to go on, but I said, 'It's too early.' Then, when I let her do her thing, right away she jumped on the bridle and did it easy and started improving her position pretty easy."
Kicking off the Friday stakes sextet, a field of 5 three-year-old fillies sprinted 6 furlongs in the $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes (G3). Debut winner Lights Out Leni was sent off as the 6-5 favorite over 3-2 second choice Little Miss Curlin, 4th in the Dixie Belle at Oaklawn, and and 7-2 third choice Tessellate, winner of the Sophomore Fillies Stakes at Tampa Bay.
Jockey Jose Ortiz sent Little Miss Curlin to the lead out of the chute through fractions of 22.04 and 46.13 while pressed by Lights Out Leni and stalked by Tessellate. Turning for home Little Miss Curlin tired allowing Tessellate to inherit the lead through 5f in 58.66, but 7-1 fourth choice Peach Tie, last early under Sheldon Russell, came out 5 wide for room and rallied to win going away by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:11.87. It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to Little Miss Curlin third, and 2 more to favorite Lights Out Leni fourth.
Left: Peach Tie heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Brittany Russell said, "The race set up great for her. I think Sheldon gave her a beautiful trip, and I think she was great. Once he got the lead change, I thought she was pretty gritty to run her down. I left it up to Sheldon. To be fair, she was out-footed early, so there was no question. The way it set up was, I think, how she was going to be comfortable running. I think it was probably that we had tried to stretch her out. Now we've shortened her up, right? You often see that on the cutback."
Right: The winning connctions pose with their trophies. Winning jockey Sheldon Russell said, "She broke sharp and they sort of ran away from her. But she was always traveling, always comfortable. I had to call on her a little earlier because they sort of got away from us. She was honest as she could be. She took the bend nicely. A bit rusty on the lead change, I think, because she was just 'over-running,' she was trying so hard to catch them. But once she popped over, she put her head down and she ran all the way. She's got a big heart and she loves to win."
The $125,000 Hilltop Stakes featured a field of 6 three-year-old fillies going 1 mile on the turf. Jockey Jevian Toledo sent 9-2 third choice Coach Mazzula to the lead first time by through fractions of 24.15, 48.89. and 1:12.37 while pressed by 8-1 Siouxse and stalked by 7-5 favorite Ultimate Love. Into the lane Coach Mazzula opened up a 2 length lead through 7f in 1:23.90, and held off late closing Ultimate Love to win by a head in 1:35.52. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to 10-1 Brat Pack third.
Left: Coach Mazzula heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Brittany Russell said, "I thought looking at the race she should go, and it was a matter of if she could hold them off. That is how she likes to run. Looking at the race, it made sense to take control of it. I think (jockey Jevian Toledo) got her to go easy early and speed has been good on this turf course. It gave us some confidence. She is a good training filly, and she likes to run along free."
Right: The winning connctions pose with their trophies. Winning jockey Jevian Toledo added, "She put me in a good spot. She relaxed beautifully today, and when I asked her, she was there for me. I was trying to save more for the end. She'd been running great. But this is tougher competition, better runners. So I just tried to wait more for the last part. In the program, we all know that [Ultimate Love] was the filly to beat. My filly was pretty brave. When she saw that one on the outside, she kept trying and kept going."
Left: Sunna in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Kent Sweezey said, "She showed all the right things early. She was fast; she won first time; she is pretty; and she is easy-peasy. A buddy of mine one day said, 'This filly is bred for grass, you should try her on the grass.' We put her in for $35,000 [Feb. 19 at Gulfstream] one day and no one took her, and now I guess the rest is history. It is real cool to train for your friends."
Right: Sunna gets unsaddled in the winner's circle. Winning jockey Luis Saez added, "She broke from the outside very well, which is what we were expecting. It was my first time riding her. I didn't want to come all the way over to the rail because I didn't want pressure from the outside. She controlled the race. When she came to the top of the stretch, I had a ton of horse."
Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
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